It seems that the Labor Party is now the party of the developer. Or at least the stooge for the developer in Ashfield.
Yesterday (Sunday) the new unknown Ashfield Council ALP candidate Alex Lofts held a “public meeting” to discuss the development of a massive two hectare site, The Summer Hill Mills with Executive Chairman of EG Property, Michael Easson. The room was adorned with ALP posters and even a photo of Kevin Rudd.
This is a very sensitive (and massive) development as it could threaten the local amenity of the Summer Hill neighbourhood that prides itself on its village atmosphere.
Sitting Labor Councillor Ray Jones was there to praise the developer and his work as was Alex Lofts the new Labor candidate for this election.
The expensively produced pamphlet reads:
SUMMER HILL MILL REDEVELOPMENT
A Community Forum hosted by Summer Hill ALP
An opportunity for residents to give their views to the new owners of the mill site on Edward Street.
Speakers
Michael Easson, Executive chairman, EG Property
Dr Susan Thompson, Summer Hill Resident and urban plannerSunday August 17, 2.30pm
Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith StreetChildren welcome.
Looks innoxious enough but it was an unusual move for a candidate to be directly associated with a developer. However when they are as powerful as Easson there’s not much to lose and lots to gain in campaign support.
Michael Easson was the secretary of the Labor Council of NSW 89-94 and is still a member of the Labor Party. He was also Vice President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and Senior Vice President of the Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch).
Nothing was mentioned at the “Public Meeting” about Easson’s association with the Labor Party.
So it now the job of the NSW Labor Party to support developers?
Summer Hill ALP invited the developer and a local urban planner to begin a community consultation process about the mill. I produced the ‘expensive’ leaflet (it cost $480 to have 5000 printed). All our campaign funds are raised locally. We take no money from NSW Labor for this campaign and no money from any corporate developers.
There was one heckler trying to make a scurrilous connection, who I assume wrote the drivel above.
We put on an ALP meeting to initiate community consultation. I spoke at the meeting emphasising we have no connection with the developer. We didn’t hide it was an ALP meeting (well spotted those ALP posters!) I had not met Michael Easson until the meeting on Sunday.
Anyone who knows anything about the inner-Sydney ALP would know that Summer Hill branch is one of the most leftwing branches in NSW. (I am branch secretary.) Look at the previous article I have written on Crikey on the ALP. IYou might get a bit of an idea about what our branch thinks of property developers in general.
http://tinyurl.com/5572ap
http://uat.crikey.com.au/Politics/20080508-Whats-the-future-
of-unions-within-the-ALP.html
Summer Hill ALP does not support the development, or oppose it. We see it as our job to galvanise the community to make sure that the developer doesn’t get a free run in what will be a very important and sensitive development. IF the community is not organised to put its views forward, we will be run roughshod over. If the development is in keeping with what the community wants, we will welcome it. IF it is contrary to what is good for the community, we will fight it tooth and claw. Summer Hill ALP has a track record on fighting bad development and bad developers.
We have zero support from the developer in the local election. To infer otherwise is just rubbish.
I was chairperson for the meeting described by your anonymous ‘Ashfield Council insider’. It was a public meeting initiated – unapologetically – by the Summer Hill Branch of the ALP. What a surprise that we should display some ALP signs at the meeting! Over 200 citizens attended the meeting.
It’s not the first time we initiated contact with the owners of this substantial development site. As long ago as 2005 we sought a meeting with the Mill owner but were rebuffed on the basis that they were not prepared to deal with anyone other than elected representatives of the community, viz., the Ashfield Council. This became a circular argument since the owner had put nothing before the Council, hence there was nothing to be consulted about. The ALP persisted with an initiative to bring the developer to the community for the community to gain maximum knowledge of this development.
Does your anonymous ‘insider’ oppose the dissemination of knowledge to the community?
Your ‘insider’ misrepresents the position taken by former Mayor, Rae Jones, failed to outline the almost unanimous resolution passed by the meeting and failed to mention that we had invited an independent urbal planning expert, Dr Susan Thompson, to provide a commentary on the developer’s exposition. No member of the ALP including our Council candidate, Mr Alex Lofts, expressed support for the development. The meeting was entirely transparent, unlike your opaque ‘Ashfield Council insider’.