Former councillor agrees no free lunch for pollies
Mon 16 April 2007
Bethany Young, Journalism
Former councillor Geoff Littler has slammed the practice of councillors accepting gifts from developers in the wake of the Maroochy Shire Council – Lend Lease scandal.
There has been furore over reports that Maroochy Shire Council Mayor Joe Natoli and town planning chair Tony Northey accepted gifts from Lend Lease.
When asked if the gifts he received from Lend Lease influenced his voting Cr Northey said:
“Never. The day I sell my soul is the day I leave council.”
Council received a record 3760 written submissions against the development, yet the plan was still given the go-ahead.
Mr Littler served as a councillor for the Maroochy Shire for 12 years and was responsible for the Palmwoods-Woombye region. He last served on the council in 2000.
He said the practice of accepting gifts, while commonplace, was unacceptable. Throughout his role as a councillor, Mr Littler never once accepted a gift from a stakeholder.
He said that if a gift was received it should be returned immediately.
“A relationship between the councillors and developers should not extend to the giving or receiving of gifts,” Mr Littler said.
He said councillors received a high enough salary without needing to accept free lunches and trips.
Mayor Joe Natoli earns $112,527.50 per year and receives an electoral allowance of $20,454.71, the Maroochy Shire Council website said.
Mr Northey had quite a different take on the matter.
“Ideally I would not anticipate councillors to accept gifts but it is very important for councillors to spend time with significant developers from their divisions to gain a two-way understanding of the important issues. Informal, out of work settings, such as golf and football are a proven way to improve these essential relationships,” he said.
Mayor Natoli acknowledged the public’s reaction to the incidents.
“There’s a public perception that people (councillors) have done the wrong thing. It’s up to us to raise the bar,” Mayor Natoli said.
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