Open letter to each of the three state Members of Parliament who have electorates in the Redlands:
| Dr Mark Robinson Member for Cleveland cleveland@parliament.qld.gov.au  |
Peter Dowling Member for Redlands redlands@parliament.qld.gov.au  |
Steve Davis Member for Capalaba capalaba@parliament.qld.gov.au  |
Dear Members of Parliament
Community support that Queensland ban developers from making political donations.
A recent poll on the Redlands2030 website found that 93% of respondents would like Queensland to ban developers from making political donations.
Queenslanders are closely following the investigations by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). These investigations have found many breaches of NSW’s laws which ban developers from making political donations.
Former NSW Premier Nathan Rees recently explained that he introduced this legislation in 2009:
“because the people of NSW were entitled to a planning and governance system free of innuendo and corruption. Nothing corrodes public confidence more than a belief that favourable decisions can be bought. It is the definition of corruption.”
During the last few months many questions have been raised in Queensland about political donations. Redlands2030 decided to find out if there is popular support for introduction of the tighter restrictions that currently apply in NSW.
This poll was launched on 13 August and it ran for 13 days. The question was:
Should Queensland ban developers from making political donations?
Of the 154 respondents, 143 people (93%) voted “Yes”.
93% is a very convincing poll result. It provides clear evidence that there is strong community support in the Redlands for Queensland to impose restrictions on political donations similar to those which already exist in NSW.
Given that the next state election is only about six months away we ask that this issue be raised as a matter of urgency in State Parliament so that the people of Queensland can have a planning and governance system that is free of innuendo and corruption.
Are you prepared to raise this matter in Parliament on behalf of the Redlands community?
Yours sincerely
Chris Walker
Redlands2030
8 September 2014
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
3 Comments
Has anyone north of the border been following the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) hearings in Sydney? Deep, ingrained, systemic rorting of NSW politics. It is illegal in NSW for developers to make political donations. Ten bent Liberal MPs so far (and Labor’s aren’t any better) found to be in cahoots with developers have been forced to step down or take to the back bench. No one thinks Queensland operates any differently, it’s just we don’t have an ICAC here. The silence of Mark Robinson, Peter Dowling and Steve Davis says it all.
People up on the Fraser Coast are complaining bitterly about a $75 infrastructure levy on their rates. They’re concerned also that it might be a permanent fixture and rise each year. We haven’t heard here how Council intends to fund the shortfall. State Govt capped the charges. Maybe if developers can fund elections, and we know that happens here, then perhaps they could donate to make up some of the development levy shortfall?
If developers want to tip money into an election then let them place it in an account that can be evenly distributed after the election. All successful candidates could then only use these funds for community projects during their term in office in each respective council division. This way the community will not be led to believe the political advantage such contributions seem to attract by particular candidates at the moment.