As the Liberal Party continues to stick its nose into the Kangaroo Bay development, two conflicts of interests involving both the Premier and the Planning Minister are making the issue worse, not better.
On one hand, we have an extraordinary situation where Premier Jeremy Rockliff is receiving advice from one owner of Font PR, while another Font PR owner has site developer Chambroad as a client.
While that conflict is live, the Premier has decided to intervene on Kangaroo Bay on behalf of Chambroad.
On the other hand, and in another clear conflict, Planning Minister Michael Ferguson is on the record endorsing the now Mayor of Clarence Brendan Blomeley in last year’s council elections, who, in the same brochure, vowed to “Return Kangaroo Bay to public hands”.
The people of Clarence don’t need internal Liberal tensions making the mess at Kangaroo Bay even worse.
Chambroad had more than five years and multiple approvals and extensions to deliver its concepts but failed to deliver. The Council this year bit the bullet and triggered the buyback of the land which is now bogged down in a legal dispute.
The best pathway towards developing this land is to move on from Chambroad – a conclusion Clarence City Council had arrived at itself without the needless intervention from the Liberals.
With the Clarence community calling out for a solution to the Kangaroo Bay development fiasco, Liberal intervention is the last thing they need.
Just like the community, Labor wants to see the land at Kangaroo Bay land utilised, however Liberal Party meddling and transparency issues are stalling future developments for the site to the detriment of the people of Clarence.
Luke Edmunds MLC
Shadow Minister for Local Government and Planning
