❓ Mr. Hyde questions the Minister for Planning regarding a potential conflict of interest related to the Waratah Avenue development rezoning in Dalkeith, focusing on the Minister's awareness and disclosure of the matter. The Minister denies any conflict and accuses the opposition of a smear campaign.
AnsweredQoN 126Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MINISTER FOR PLANNING — CONFLICT OF
INTEREST — WARATAH AVENUE, DALKEITH
126. Mr J.N. HYDE to the Minister for Planning:
I refer to the Waratah Avenue development and the minister's
comments in the media in which he said —
''I cannot recall whether I
was aware rezoning was being considered,''
I also refer to the Attorney General's detailed
pecuniary interest declaration of 2010–11 showing extensive knowledge
of the development and the pending rezoning by the minister's own
Department of Planning.
(1) When did
the minister, either as Minister for Planning or as a property owning investor,
become aware that rezoning was being considered in Waratah Avenue?
(2) While
the Attorney, who was not a decision-maker in the development, saw fit to make
a special pecuniary interest disclosure for his 2010–11 annual return
regarding the expected rezoning of Waratah Avenue, why did the minister simply
record ''no change'' in his disclosure and fail to make a similar
addition?
INTEREST — WARATAH AVENUE, DALKEITH
126. Mr J.N. HYDE to the Minister for Planning:
I refer to the Waratah Avenue development and the minister's
comments in the media in which he said —
''I cannot recall whether I
was aware rezoning was being considered,''
I also refer to the Attorney General's detailed
pecuniary interest declaration of 2010–11 showing extensive knowledge
of the development and the pending rezoning by the minister's own
Department of Planning.
(1) When did
the minister, either as Minister for Planning or as a property owning investor,
become aware that rezoning was being considered in Waratah Avenue?
(2) While
the Attorney, who was not a decision-maker in the development, saw fit to make
a special pecuniary interest disclosure for his 2010–11 annual return
regarding the expected rezoning of Waratah Avenue, why did the minister simply
record ''no change'' in his disclosure and fail to make a similar
addition?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
The ''no change'', of course, refers to the annual return of
financial interests, and the normal practice in this process is that if there
is no change to the previous return, you write ''no change''; it
is as simple as that.
Any
reference to the Attorney General and interest that his family may have in
relation to this particular area I think is bordering on being offensive. I can
say very clearly that he has made no representations to me whatsoever in
relation to this particular issue. There has never been any argument put about
rezoning that should or should not occur.
Several
members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr E.S. Ripper interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Belmont!
Mr J.H.D. DAY : I just want to make that
very clear.
I dealt with this issue last week and there was never any
self-interested conception or action in relation to it, and, as I think the
member for Perth is very well aware, the area of land that has been rezoned, or
was the subject of rezoning, is not an area in which I have any interest. I
think people need to understand that very clearly. The opposition is engaging
in a campaign of smear and innuendo —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Thank
you, members!
Mr J.H.D. DAY : —
which has no reasonable foundation in truth.
In relation to whether I could recall contemplation of
rezoning in relation to my ownership of property in the area, I cannot recall
exactly when I became aware of that because there is simply no link between the
two. There is no link between the two events in any way —
Mr J.N. Hyde : So
as minister you had no idea about local residents—the whole Dalkeith
protest group?
Mr J.H.D. DAY : The
reason that this decision was —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER : I am
quite prepared to give the member for Perth a supplementary question. At this
point, the next person who wishes to interject will be formally called to
order.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : The
reason there has been a change to the planning scheme in the City of Nedlands,
as the City of Nedlands has been advised, in essence is that I accepted a
recommendation of the Western Australian Planning Commission. I accepted the
recommendation of the WA Planning Commission for the same reason that the WA
Planning Commission made its recommendation to me in the first place—namely,
that what has been agreed as the outcome is in compliance with ''directions
2031 and beyond: metropolitan planning beyond the horizon'', the
planning framework for the Perth metropolitan and Peel region. If the member
for Perth does not understand what is happening in Western Australia, but
particularly in the Perth metropolitan area, he needs to get hold of this
document, read it and understand it if he is to take a serious interest in
planning —
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Armadale, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Mr J.H.D. DAY :
What we face, as I explained last week, is a growing population, an ageing
population, and the need to provide a greater diversity of residential choices,
including in well-established suburbs. People who have lived there for many
years actually want to downsize and stay in their local area and be able to
live in single-floor accommodation. That applies in not only the City of
Nedlands but also the City of Subiaco, Cottesloe and many other parts of the
western suburbs and, indeed, other parts of the Perth metropolitan area.
Dr K.D. Hames : I
well remember Alannah MacTiernan doing exactly the same as you.
Mr J.H.D. DAY :
Indeed, when the Labor government was in office, there was recognition of the
demographic changes that are occurring which we need to address and which are
being addressed by the implementation of this planning framework.
The ''no change'', of course, refers to the annual return of
financial interests, and the normal practice in this process is that if there
is no change to the previous return, you write ''no change''; it
is as simple as that.
Any
reference to the Attorney General and interest that his family may have in
relation to this particular area I think is bordering on being offensive. I can
say very clearly that he has made no representations to me whatsoever in
relation to this particular issue. There has never been any argument put about
rezoning that should or should not occur.
Several
members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr E.S. Ripper interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Belmont!
Mr J.H.D. DAY : I just want to make that
very clear.
I dealt with this issue last week and there was never any
self-interested conception or action in relation to it, and, as I think the
member for Perth is very well aware, the area of land that has been rezoned, or
was the subject of rezoning, is not an area in which I have any interest. I
think people need to understand that very clearly. The opposition is engaging
in a campaign of smear and innuendo —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Thank
you, members!
Mr J.H.D. DAY : —
which has no reasonable foundation in truth.
In relation to whether I could recall contemplation of
rezoning in relation to my ownership of property in the area, I cannot recall
exactly when I became aware of that because there is simply no link between the
two. There is no link between the two events in any way —
Mr J.N. Hyde : So
as minister you had no idea about local residents—the whole Dalkeith
protest group?
Mr J.H.D. DAY : The
reason that this decision was —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER : I am
quite prepared to give the member for Perth a supplementary question. At this
point, the next person who wishes to interject will be formally called to
order.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : The
reason there has been a change to the planning scheme in the City of Nedlands,
as the City of Nedlands has been advised, in essence is that I accepted a
recommendation of the Western Australian Planning Commission. I accepted the
recommendation of the WA Planning Commission for the same reason that the WA
Planning Commission made its recommendation to me in the first place—namely,
that what has been agreed as the outcome is in compliance with ''directions
2031 and beyond: metropolitan planning beyond the horizon'', the
planning framework for the Perth metropolitan and Peel region. If the member
for Perth does not understand what is happening in Western Australia, but
particularly in the Perth metropolitan area, he needs to get hold of this
document, read it and understand it if he is to take a serious interest in
planning —
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Armadale, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Mr J.H.D. DAY :
What we face, as I explained last week, is a growing population, an ageing
population, and the need to provide a greater diversity of residential choices,
including in well-established suburbs. People who have lived there for many
years actually want to downsize and stay in their local area and be able to
live in single-floor accommodation. That applies in not only the City of
Nedlands but also the City of Subiaco, Cottesloe and many other parts of the
western suburbs and, indeed, other parts of the Perth metropolitan area.
Dr K.D. Hames : I
well remember Alannah MacTiernan doing exactly the same as you.
Mr J.H.D. DAY :
Indeed, when the Labor government was in office, there was recognition of the
demographic changes that are occurring which we need to address and which are
being addressed by the implementation of this planning framework.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.