We’re in good company in our office in Five Dock

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Published: Thursday, 29 April 2021 13:34

After operation Dasha, the next local government-focused public investigation was our neighbour and former Minister in the Berejiklian Government, John Sidoti. Not quite as engrossing as activities at the former Canterbury Council, but he is pictured above in a graphic from the Sydney Morning Herald, with the property interests of his parents coloured orange and the ICAC is conducting a public enquiry on whether he misused his position as the local member to press for more development in the area surrounding his family’s property interests.

Coincidently, the properties will benefit from the proposed Five Dock Metro station - determined by the Berejiklian Government. Mr Sidoti and his family are canny investors, having already benefited from properties owned on the Rouse Hill rail line but this consideration doesn’t appear to be part of the ICAC brief.

He conceded he had “shared claims about the conduct of some councillors and Council staff that had no substance”; had made accusations described as “scurrilous” by Counsel Assisting about a Council planner; denied threatening Liberal Councillors; argued he was “indifferent” to the outcome of several Council meetings dealing with potential rezoning that would benefit his family’s property holdings; asserted the benefit to his family was a “’by-product’, but never the motivation for his advocacy for the changes” and It was all about responding to the local, unspecified, “shopkeepers”.

Commissioner Peter Hall QC asked if he had memory problems and reminded him a number of times that he was giving evidence under oath. Sidoti also acknowledged that he didn’t always read everything, including things he signed, and that sometimes he said and wrote things that he didn’t mean.

Still, he and his family are canny investors and if anyone needed someone to present a conference paper on planning issues facing established suburbs, he would be the man.

In the image above the Sidoti family property interests are coloured orange. They surround a white building sitting quietly on the corner minding its own business. That’s where we have and own our office and have been happily, for 20 years.

Great minds.