Claims of conflict of interest in regard to rezoning of farm politicking

22/1/98

Local Government Minister Paul Omodei said that today that there was absolutely no conflict between his application for a rezoning of his family farm and his responsibilities as a Cabinet Minister, as claimed by Labor MLA Mark McGowan.

"Mr McGowan seems to have gone to the Norm Marlborough school of politics and has adopted the belief that any exaggeration, distortion or downright untruth is acceptable if you can use it to confuse the public and abuse a political opponent," Mr Omodei said.

"This is an occasion when the media and the public should choose to examine the behaviour of the accuser."

Mr Omodei said the situation with regard to his family's farm was straight forward.

They employed a consultant planner, Koltasz Smith & Partners, of Busselton, to apply for a rezoning to allow the future development of a vineyard village.

The council replied to the planner with a set of strict conditions that would have to be met before the council would consider whether to adopt the rezoning.

A further part of council's resolution was: 'That the proponent be advised there is no obligation upon the Council to adopt the amendment and that unless Council is satisfied that its strategic planning objectives and practical issues are shown to be able to be resolved it is unlikely that Council will approve the proposal'.

The situation had advanced no further than that.

Mr Omodei added that the attempt to link the rezoning application to a Council Advice Program (CAP) carried out at Manjimup was stupid, but nasty.

"The facts are that in 1996 the council ran into a budget deficit and there was considerable disquiet in the community about it, so the council asked the Local Government Department to carry out a Council Advice Program, which is a cooperative, helping program, not a forensic investigation," he said.

"The program was successful and the council has its budget under control.

"The assertion that my family applying for a rezoning is contrary to the ethical standard that forbids people in public life 'soliciting advantages or benefits' arising from their public office is also stupid and nasty.

"People in public life - whether Cabinet Ministers, MPs, or councillors - do not lose the ordinary rights of citizens, and applying for a rezoning is an ordinary right of a citizen.

"If we adopted the ridiculous idea that people in public life cannot do the ordinary things of life, it would mean that Ministers and others would not be able to defend themselves in a court of law on the grounds that their position might influence the prosecutor or the magistrate or judge.

"It is extremely important that we have clear ethical standards, but it is equally important that those standards are understood so that accusations like that made by Mr McGowan are seen for the malicious nonsense they are."

Media contact: Hugh Ryan 9366 0200