Page 4873 - Week 13 - Thursday, 2 November 2017
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What is more, the 1973 Foundation, the company established to take the pokie profits, spend their money in Sydney. They buy properties in Canada Bay. Many millions of dollars have gone from the Labor Club into the 1973 Foundation and then back to the Labor Party. The Labor Party keeps getting the jackpot, whilst also being the regulator.
Earlier this year you might recall that I released information that the Labor Club spent $528,000 acquiring even more poker machines from the Italo Australian Club. Unfortunately, I can reveal that the Labor Club are back to their old tricks. They have purchased even more poker machines. Tucked away on page 40 of their annual report is mention of a $300,000 payment to the Australian-Croatian Club Ltd for gaming licences. The gaming empire on Chandler Street is growing. They talk tough about poker machines but in actual fact they are growing their empire.
The rural leases acquisitions keep happening. They include numerous blocks in Belconnen, Kambah, Stromlo, Tuggeranong, Wallaroo Road and elsewhere. Does anyone know what the strategy is for these purchases? How is it that tens of millions of dollars can be spent without a strategy, without direction? How does anyone know whether we are getting a good deal for the tens of millions of dollars that the government is spending? How is the government going to manage the weeds, the fences or the infrastructure or assets on these properties? Or perhaps they are allowing people to have 10-year rent-free leases on these sites as well. Who knows?
Unfortunately, many purchases have been done with just one valuation. Despite the fact that very few rural properties change hands in the ACT and despite the fact that it is not a mature market and is very volatile, the government uses only one valuation. This is bad practice. To the best of my knowledge, this goes against the rules and requirements for every other state government in the country.
The Chief Minister signed a direction about how land is to be acquired in the ACT. It is called the Planning and Development (Land Acquisition Policy Framework) Direction 2014 (No 1). It has systematically been flouted. Despite my raising the alarm bell on this issue, it persisted for months and there were acquisitions even after I raised the alarm bell on 5 November 2015. We know that the LDA board did not make all the decisions and that ministerial notifications, or chief ministerial decisions, were ignored on many occasions.
However, I can now say that I believe that there was another breach. The acquisition guideline states:
Government agreement is required for any acquisition by the LDA that results in a cumulative annual total of $20 million in acquisition being exceeded. The cumulative annual total means all acquisitions within a financial year—1 July to 30 June.
This means that the government cannot spend more than $20 million without cabinet approval.
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