City to vote on bid to curb influence

TRAFFIC controls around Geelong’s Belchers building will remain until the end of August due to a supply delay, the council has revealed.

As demolition works continue on the crumbling CBD building, plans to reopen surrounding roads by July 31 have hit a snag.

“Temporary supports are in place, however permanent bracing is required for ongoing support on the southeastern wall of the Belchers building. This will be installed via crane,” City of Greater Geelong planning, design and development director Gareth Smith said.

“Unfortunately, a delay with the supply of this bracing means that the pedestrian and traffic safety measures will be required to remain in place until Monday, August 24.

“Once again, we acknowledge the inconvenience caused by these measures, and we will continue to keep the community updated as works progress.

“Public safety remains our No. 1 priority.”

Mr Smith said demolition of the upper floor was now complete, with work moving to the ground floor.

GEELONG council will vote on a move to establish a public register of meetings held between property developers and council management, senior officers and councillors.

Cr Anthony Aitken has submitted a notice of motion for Tuesday’s council meeting, calling on the chief executive to explore how to add the register requirement to the city’s proposed transparency policy and codes of conduct for staff and councillors.

Cr Aitken’s notice of motion suggests the register could “list the meeting date, the property developer entity name or property developer if an individual and the names of City of Greater Geelong key management personnel/senior officers and/or councillors who attended the meeting”.

“Property developers have one of the most significant financial interest in dealing with local government authorities,” the motion noted. The recent municipal inquiry and sacking of the City of Casey highlighted when this interest can cause conflict and not be in the communities’ broader interests or good governance.

“Geelong itself has not been immune from scandal associated with improper property developer relationships with candidates, as detailed in the 2006 Merv Whelan municipal inquiry into donations made to candidates for the 2004 Geelong council elections.

“By establishing a public register of property developer meetings, the intention is to enable the public to have transparency of these meetings and relationships, and to serve as a permanent reminder to senior staff and councillors of the need to act impartially and without fear or favour in performing their duties.”

Cr Aitken’s register idea prompted responses from some local developers and business figures.

Former Geelong chair of the Urban Development Institute of Australia Tom Roe said he had no issue with the register, but took offence at Cr Aitken’s “populist, simplistic and cheap shot” at developers.

“Cr Aitken’s free crack at my industry is understandable in the circumstances,” Mr Roe said in a letter to the editor.

“But where has his support been to bring about some form of growth areas tax or infrastructure contribution on the windfall gain in his own ward from the uplift in land value in the recently approved northern and western growth areas?”

Bisinella director Richard Bisinella said he would support the register, adding, “We would expect that a register of meetings would occur for any interest group including council’s activity when it acts as a developer”.