15-12-06
Council Meeting 15-12-2006: Development Approval to
ALP Election Donor Rescinded
Item 7 Urgent Business - Recission motion – 47-53
Dudley Street, Coogee
OUTCOME The rescission motion lodged by the Greens was
successfully in overturning the approval for the contentions extension to 47-53
Dudley Street, Coogee that Labor Councillor Anthony Andrews forced at the
previous meeting.
During debate on this same matter at the earlier
Health, Building and Planning Committee meeting on December 5th it
was revealed by Greens Councillor Bradley Hughes that the applicant was
associated with companies that had donated $3,000 to Labor’s last council
election campaign in Randwick.
The donation involved the purchase of three tickets worth $1,000 each to an ALP
fundraiser dinner at Parliament on the 25th February 2004 shortly before the
election.
The applicant Mr Boris Meck, is a Director of Meck
Investments Pty Ltd, which is the company that purchased those tickets. This
was confirmed by executing a current Company Search via an ASIC information
broker.
It was brought to Councillor Hughes’ attention by a
concerned resident on Friday 7th that Meck Investments Pty Ltd also
paid a total of approximately $12,445 for two newspaper advertisements @ $6,222
each for the local ALP council election campaign in March 2004. Cr Hughes
subsequently verified this to be true by obtaining a copy of the ALP Campaign
Donations Return submitted to the Electoral Commission.
Council planning staff had recommended that the 47-53
Dudley Street extension not be approved.
The site has come before the Council several times in
the last year attracting intense community interest each time.