Craig Thomson (Dobell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the recent Wyong Council election and concerns that have been raised with me by a number of constituents about a group or party called the Save Tuggerah Lakes Party, which in this election saw two councillors of the 10 being elected. The concerns that people have raised with me are in relation to this being a front to prop up two existing so-called Independent councillors, one of whom got only 0.58 of a quota but, on the basis of getting preferences from the Save Tuggerah Lakes Party, ended up being the 10th and last councillor to be elected. These two councillors, Councillor Eaton and Councillor Best, hold themselves out to be Independents but any examination of this Save Tuggerah Lakes Party finds that they are well and truly behind it. The Save Tuggerah Lakes Party was registered in September 2002 by an employee of a company owned by Councillor Eaton. Councillor Eaton, who was a Liberal Party councillor at that time, denied that he was a member of the Save Tuggerah Lakes Party because it was against the rules of the Liberal Party. Later on, he admitted that he had been. A list obtained from the state electoral office revealed the names of 100 people who formed the party and it included Councillor Eaton and 10 other people with the surname of Eaton. So there are some major concerns about this.

We then go to donations made to this particular party. During 2011, Councillors Eaton and Best and their wives were the only donors to the Save Tuggerah Lakes Party. That raises a whole range of other issues. If they are the sole donors to this particular party, and this party has agreed to give preferences, then the question has to be asked: were these preferences bought in the legal manner by these two councillors to ensure that they got preferences and were elected to council?

It also raises another issue. One of these councillors, Councillor Best, is involved in a commercial development. He has a property that he developed and under the Electoral Funding and Disclosures Regulation 2009 it would appear that he has breached the act by making donations as a developer in relation to these issues. I have written to the New South Wales Electoral Commissioner because they have been raised widespread. There is a real concern about this election result when two unknowns have been elected on the basis of what appears to be a trick. The electoral commissioner wrote back to me last week and confirmed that his office is undertaking an investigation into the Save Tuggerah Lakes Party and in relation to Councillor Best and Councillor Eaton.