Campaign Funds from Developer Go Undeclared
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THE TWEED Spring Volume 3 #07 Thursday, October 14, 2010 Into Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 Action [email protected] [email protected] Page 12 www.tweedecho.com.au LOCAL & INDEPENDENT Campaign funds from developer go undeclared Ken Sapwell Government, Barbara Perry, to inves- tigate the former mayor for possible Veteran Tweed councillor Warren breaches of the NSW Electoral Act Polglase faces a new probe after fail- during the 2008 elections. ing to declare a string of secretive pay- Cr Polglase, who was mayor when ments to his re-election campaign. the council was sacked in 2005 be- Brisbane based developer Godfrey cause of an uproar over developer Mantle reveals that companies un- donations, says he’s always declared der the umbrella of his Mantle Group an interest when Mr Mantle’s matters gave $5,000 to Cr Polglase in six sepa- come to council and took no part in rate donations on September 12, 2008, the voting. the day before voters turned out to ‘I am not required to disclose do- elect a new council. nations under $1,000 if they come According to his political donations from different sources and in this case disclosure statement lodged last year, they did,’ he said from overseas where Beekeeper Laurie Waldron inspects a frame of one of his hives. Laurie says different entities sharing the same he is on holiday. the wet weather has made the bees a little sluggish. Photo Jeff ‘Hi Home I’m East Brisbane address as the Mantle ‘I have taken legal advice on this Big wet Honey’ Dawson Group, gave five amounts of $900 matter and I can assure you that ev- and one of $500 to ‘council candidate erything is above board.’ about 300 hives in the Tweed region Tweed earlier this month and a fur- Warren Polglase’. Tweed Monitor spokesman Jeremy with his son Darren. ther 100mm fell over the weekend, Cornford disagrees, saying Cr Pol- upsets Although they are a relatively small sparking severe weather warnings Donations to Cr Polglase glase was obliged to declare small do- business, he said the region’s larger and flash flooding in some areas. Cr Polglase this week admitted he nations below $1,000 and any series commercial operators were also likely The rainfall is well above average did not declare the donations in his of donations appearing to be from the the bees to be affected. for this time of year. return to the NSW election funding same source which totalled over the The NSW Apiarist Association has The spate of wet weather is another authority, but says he was not obliged reportable $1,000. Kate McIntosh estimated that honey yields across the blow for the Metcalfe father and son to because none was over $1,000 and ‘These six companies all share the Northern Rivers would be 50 per cent team, who have already scaled back they were made by six different com- same address in Wellington Street, Recent wet weather has severely im- less than last year. their operations in light of problems panies. Brisbane; and each donation is signed pacted on local honey yields, leaving Mr Metcalfe made up his hives last with the African hive beetle, a de- Mr Mantle, who signed the return off by Mr Geoffrey Mantle, listed as local beekeepers struggling to meet week before the heavy downpour structive pest in honey bee colonies. as sole director of Terranora Group the sole director of Terranora Group demand. struck and had been due to add queen ‘You can’t get your honey off. We’ve Management, which recently won Management Pty Ltd,’ says Mr Corn- Stokers Siding apiarist Vic Metcalfe bees to his swarm, but was unable to got orders we can’t fill,’ said Mr Met- NSW government approval for a $1.4 ford, whose group unearthed Mr says he has been unable to fill orders transport them due to the weather. calfe. billion residential project known as Mantle’s returns. for his Local Bush Honey brand be- Uki’s Laurie Waldron, 84, who ‘Everything’s against us.’ The Rise, also reveals he made a doz- ‘The same return shows that he [Cr cause his bees were not producing keeps a smattering of hobby hives on The pest, which causes damage to en donations to the NSW ALP. Polglase] apparently spent none of his enough honey. his Smiths Creek Road property, also honeycombs, stored honey and pol- The donations, listed mainly as own money; and had no expenses of Mr Metcalfe said that during wet noticed his bees behaving sluggishly len, has severely curtailed the family’s attendances at dinner functions, to- any sort for advertising, placards, or weather, crops could spoil as bees be- as a result of the wet weather. livelihood from beekeeping, with his talled $58,000 between June 2007 and how-to-vote cards and other printing.’ came distressed and unable to pro- ‘They can’t get out and work you son having to take on another job. July last year. Mr Cornford has also asked Ms duce honey. see, so it’s a matter of waiting until the Mr Metcalfe said the pest made it Local watchdog group Tweed Mon- Perry to investigate any business links The 65-year-old has been a bee- sun comes out again,’ he said. increasingly difficult to maintain a itor has called on Minister for Local continued on page 2 keeper for about 30 years and runs Up to 150mm of rain soaked the sustainable beekeeping business. ABN 82 087 650 682 <echowebsection=Local News> Local News Polglase sticks by his legal advice Ken Sapwell ‘Candidates selected at a council workshop. and supported by Tweed A conduct review panel dis- Council comeback king Warren Directions, while pre- missed the complaints, saying Polglase appeared unperturbed senting themselves as it was ‘understandable’ Cr Pol- when contacted this week about independents, were im- glase might assume the coun- allegations of lodging a false posters, being puppets cil was entitled to legal costs funding declaration. of Tweed Directions,’ he against the residents because He says he sticks by his legal found. ‘Effectively they the case was dismissed with advice that he was not required lied to the community costs and the council was a to declare $5,000 in small do- (and) were elected under respondent. nations from six different enti- false pretences.’ He also said he didn’t think ties under the umbrella of the Cr Polglase and others Cr Polglase’s conduct in devot- Don’t miss your Echo, family-owned Mantle Group of caught up in the inquiry ing his time to table occupied by companies. says it was a blatant polit- developers during a workshop no matter where you are. The National Party veteran, ical exercise and despite to discuss building heights at www.tweedecho.com.au Cr Warren Polglase pictured last year who’s been anointed mayor in his Libyan attire which he wore a long list of recommen- Hastings Point involved any during terms of both the old as an agricultural expert to Libya’s dations none had been breaches of the code of conduct. and new councils, seems confi- Colonel Gadaffi in the late 1970s. adopted and no one was ‘The mayor is entitled to mix dent of sailing through the lat- The local costume was worn by the charged with any wrong as he sees fit and to be ultimate- est storm threatening to swamp group of seven Australian agricul- doing. ly judged by the electors,’ he his local government career of tural experts who helped Gadaffi The 65-year-old re- ruled. nearly two decades. move his country from goat farmers cently won widespread Cr Polglase suffered a set- The former Riverina rice to crop growers in 1978. praise for spearheading back two months ago when the farmer and one-time water ad- a campaign which forced owner of a manufactured home viser to Libyan despot Muam- election campaign had been fi- the government to lift its cap park he manages at Kingscliff mar al-Gaddafi survived the nanced by a secretive develop- on developer contributions to was refused permission to in- fallout from an inquiry and ers’ fund of up to $633,000. help pay for roads and other crease the number of houses in subsequent sacking of the coun- Inquiry head Maurice Daly infrastructure. the park. cil in 2005 to be re-elected to a said an organisation known as But he raised the ire of a res- His last major act as mayor new council in 2008. Tweed Directions constructed idents group several months before he was deposed last He further stunned his crit- a developer-funded campaign ago when as mayor he threat- month was to sign-off on a new Dr Rod Whitehead ics when he won a draw from in a bid to secure a pro-develop- ened to pursue them for court two-year contract for council ^Đ,ŽŶ;ĂŶĂĚĂͿ͕^Đ;Y>Ϳ a cardboard box last year to re- ment majority on the council. costs and sat with developers general manager, Mike Rayner. ͻNaturopathically Approved Removal of Amalgam gain the mayoral robes which he lost when the council was ͻŽƐŵĞƟĐ^ŽůƵƟŽŶƐLJŽƵĐĂŶƚƌƵƐƚ Godfrey Mantle’s big plans for top spot ͻDŽĚĞƌŶ͕ƌĞůĂdžĞĚ͕ďŝŽĐŽŵƉĂƟďůĞĚĞŶƟƐƚƌLJ sacked, only to lose them again ͻ͚KŶƚŚĞƐƉŽƚ͛ďƵůŬďŝůůŝŶŐĨŽƌEPCƉĂƟĞŶƚƐ last month. Ken Sapwell complaining that restrictions be approved if upgrades and ͻ͚KŶƚŚĞĚĂLJ͛ĞŵĞƌŐĞŶĐLJĂƉƉŽŝŶƚŵĞŶƚƐ Cr Polglase and his pro- imposed by the council made new roads were constructed. development council faction Flamboyant Brisbane property it uneconomic. These involve building the Dr Brian TraceyǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ&ƌŝĚĂLJƐ copped a drubbing from the developer Godfrey Mantle first Under changes to planning Cobaki Parkway from Pigga- ϳͬϭϰDŝĚĚůĞƚŽŶ^ƚƌĞĞƚ͕LJƌŽŶĂLJͻ02 6680 7774 inquiry which found their came to notice in the Tweed laws he was compelled to been Road to Boyd Street, when he bagged one of the seek approval from the NSW building a new ‘spine’ road shire’s best pieces of real estate government for drastically through the site from Marana almost two decades ago.