By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong councillors say they have a “vital role” in planning decisions, in the wake of an anti-corruption report into Casey Council.
The council would review the IBAC Operation Sandon recommendations with “significant interest”, mayor Eden Foster said.
Among the 34 recommendations was to take planning decisions out of councillors’ hands. Instead they should be made by independent expert panels at council, according to IBAC.
Its deputy commissioner David Wolf said the “complexity and technical capability to deal with planning matters is beyond councillors”.
He also noted their “corruption vulnerabilities”, as well as the “enormous” amount of time required to assess planning applications.
Casey councillors stated they didn’t have time to be across the detail of planning applications, the IBAC report stated.
One of them was its most experienced councillor Wayne Smith, who had “crucial” casting votes on some planning decisions relating to developer John Woodman.
According to IBAC, Smith “often did not read the voluminous Casey Council planning papers, instead preferring to follow Councillor (Sam) Aziz’s lead because he had confidence in Councillor Aziz’s judgment on those matters”.
IBAC found that Aziz received about $600,000 from Woodman while supporting the developer and associated entities in planning decisions.
In 2022, Greater Dandenong introduced a register for councillors to declare their meetings with developers and lobbyists over proposed land use changes and developments.
However, the register is only voluntary.
Cr Foster said the council “awaits with interest” the State Government’s planning reforms.
“Greater Dandenong City Council feels strongly that it has a vital role to play in the decision-making process on town planning matters within its municipality and is the most appropriate level of government to know and represent the interests of its community.”
In Greater Dandenong, the state’s Planning Minister is already in charge of planning controls for larger developments in Dandenong’s CBD.
Cr Foster said it was part of the “State Government’s investment strategy for this area” but didn’t comment on its impact.
Greens councillor Rhonda Garad said “we should all be greatly concerned about losing planning from councils”.
“We are losing our local voice and our democratic rights.
“Giving this power to the state means we lose the right to have a say. We all need to fight this.”
Liberal councillor Tim Dark said the switch to independent planning panels would be “disappointing”.
He partially agreed with IBAC that some councillors had “little understanding” of planning requirements.
“But for those that do (understand) on council, it’s disappointing.
“We’re the closest to the ground on what’s going on.
“If the Government put in planning panels, there needs to be significant consultation with all stakeholders. Objections by residents need to be taken seriously.”
Premier Daniel Andrews has indicated that the role of local councils in “significant planning decisions” should be reduced.
“To have part-time councillors making decisions to turn, say, farmland into a new suburb where you’re talking about vast amounts of money – there’s clearly a risk that things can go wrong there.
“There are a lot of councils not making decisions at all. VCAT is having to make all their decisions. (The councilors) say no, no, no even though council officers are saying we should do this.”
Municipal Association of Victoria president David Clark warned the Government not to shift planning powers into the “backrooms of Spring Street”.
He said this was an opportunity to improve transparency and accountability in the planning system.
“With the report clearly stating that corruption risk cannot be resolved by transferring responsibility from elected councillors to a minister, it would be a travesty for the Andrews Government to use the findings to centralise planning powers within the backrooms of Spring Street.”
