Premier Jeremy Rockliff needs to come clean on exactly what he told independent MPs John Tucker and Lara Alexander in order to gain their support in Parliament.
Speaking on ABC Radio this morning, John Tucker said the Premier had assured him the Project of State Significance process would mean “there will be a vote at the start, public consultation, and then a vote and scrutiny at the end” for the Macquarie Point stadium.
Under current laws, this isn’t necessarily true. A second Parliamentary vote is only required if the Premier decides to vary the recommendation made to him by the Planning Commission.
What exactly did Jeremy Rockliff tell these new independents? Did he deliberately mislead them just to secure his short-term political survival?
We wouldn’t put it past him, given how shady he was with us last year to secure our support for the state’s AFL bid.
It seems the Premier offered his former colleagues pretty clear assurances about Parliament’s role, but if John Tucker has misunderstood the situation, it doesn’t change the shadow now hanging over the deal he’s signed.
Is the Independent Member for Lyons satisfied with a situation where Parliament doesn’t have the final say? And if not, what’s he going to do about it?
This whole situation demonstrates the deep flaws in the Project of State Significance legislation. At minimum, amendments must be made to this process to ensure the Parliament always has the final say.
