Thursday, 20 February 2020

Casey planning scheme

Mr T SMITH (Kew) (11:16): My question is to the Minister for Planning. Why is the minister continuing to block the release under freedom of information of 76 records of identified correspondence between the minister, Judith Graley and Jude Pereira relating to Casey planning amendment C219, the rezoning that John Woodman has paid millions of dollars in donations and bribes attempting to secure?

Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Planning) (11:17): I thank the member for Kew, who is looking fair dinkum magnificent. Thank you so much for your question.

Mr M O’Brien: He has been laying off the dumplings.

Mr WYNNE: I say to the Leader of the Opposition in a bipartisan way, we are encouraging people to actually eat more dumplings because it is very important for us to support our Chinese community, as the Leader of the Opposition knows.

In relation to the question itself, the member for Kew FOIed voluminously a whole range of correspondence in relation to matters relating to the rezoning.

Mr T Smith: It was not voluminous.

Mr WYNNE: It was a voluminous request which the department asked the member for Kew to recast.

Mr T Smith: Which I did.

Mr WYNNE: And they have been recast and they are being considered, but more importantly it does provide me with the opportunity to clarify a couple of matters which the member for Kew in a recent opinion piece asserted which are in fact completely wrong.

Mr T Smith: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister said that my request was voluminous. The request was redrafted, and again it was suggested it was voluminous. I do not know how 76 records could be construed as voluminous. On relevance, Speaker, the minister is misleading the chamber.

The SPEAKER: Order! That is not a point of order.

Mr WYNNE: I think it is important to clarify for the Parliament and the community more generally that the assertion that the member for Kew raised in an opinion piece on Monday that I had met with Mr Woodman is completely false. Mr Woodman has attended a number of functions and forums, and indeed at every one of those I have been accompanied by a probity auditor.

Mr T Smith: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance again, my question was regarding the minister’s refusal to FOI matters of great public interest. He did attend a fundraiser at PwC in 2018 with Woodman.

The SPEAKER: The minister had answered the question and is now straying from answering the question that was asked. I ask the minister to come back to answering the question or conclude his answer.

Mr WYNNE: Indeed. The determination of FOI matters, as the member for Kew obviously knows, is made by public servants, not by ministers.

Mr T SMITH (Kew) (11:21): Why has this minister so far refused to disallow Casey planning amendment C219, which stands to make John Woodman millions? Why haven’t you refused it? Why haven’t you refused it?

Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Planning) (11:21): The member for Kew asked this question last year. He did ask it last year.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I ask members to my left to stop shouting.

Mr WYNNE: I have got a ripping answer, don’t worry about that. I again repeat, for the interest of the house, that I will not be making any decision in relation to the Cranbourne West precinct structure plan and rezoning until the Draft Melbourne Industrial and Commercial Land Use Plan is finalised. We have 106 submissions. The department is working its way systematically through those—

A member interjected.

Mr WYNNE: Coming from you! When that work is completed, and all 106 submissions have in fact been considered, I will make a decision in relation to Cranbourne West. And you ought to start telling the truth about these issues.