THE TWEED
Spring Into Action
Volume 3 #07 Thursday, October 14, 2010 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 editor@tweedecho.com.au adcopy@tweedecho.com.au www.tweedecho.com.au
Page 12
LOCAL & INDEPENDENT
Campaign funds from developer go undeclared Ken Sapwell
Veteran Tweed councillor Warren Polglase faces a new probe after failing to declare a string of secretive payments to his re-election campaign. Brisbane based developer Godfrey Mantle reveals that companies under the umbrella of his Mantle Group gave $5,000 to Cr Polglase in six separate donations on September 12, 2008, the day before voters turned out to elect a new council. According to his political donations disclosure statement lodged last year, different entities sharing the same East Brisbane address as the Mantle Group, gave five amounts of $900 and one of $500 to ‘council candidate Warren Polglase’.
Donations to Cr Polglase Cr Polglase this week admitted he did not declare the donations in his return to the NSW election funding authority, but says he was not obliged to because none was over $1,000 and they were made by six different companies. Mr Mantle, who signed the return as sole director of Terranora Group Management, which recently won NSW government approval for a $1.4 billion residential project known as The Rise, also reveals he made a dozen donations to the NSW ALP. The donations, listed mainly as attendances at dinner functions, totalled $58,000 between June 2007 and July last year. Local watchdog group Tweed Monitor has called on Minister for Local
Government, Barbara Perry, to investigate the former mayor for possible breaches of the NSW Electoral Act during the 2008 elections. Cr Polglase, who was mayor when the council was sacked in 2005 because of an uproar over developer donations, says he’s always declared an interest when Mr Mantle’s matters come to council and took no part in the voting. ‘I am not required to disclose donations under $1,000 if they come from different sources and in this case they did,’ he said from overseas where he is on holiday. ‘I have taken legal advice on this matter and I can assure you that everything is above board.’ Tweed Monitor spokesman Jeremy Cornford disagrees, saying Cr Polglase was obliged to declare small donations below $1,000 and any series of donations appearing to be from the same source which totalled over the reportable $1,000. ‘These six companies all share the same address in Wellington Street, Brisbane; and each donation is signed off by Mr Geoffrey Mantle, listed as the sole director of Terranora Group Management Pty Ltd,’ says Mr Cornford, whose group unearthed Mr Mantle’s returns. ‘The same return shows that he [Cr Polglase] apparently spent none of his own money; and had no expenses of any sort for advertising, placards, or how-to-vote cards and other printing.’ Mr Cornford has also asked Ms Perry to investigate any business links
Big wet upsets the bees Kate McIntosh
Recent wet weather has severely impacted on local honey yields, leaving local beekeepers struggling to meet demand. Stokers Siding apiarist Vic Metcalfe says he has been unable to fill orders for his Local Bush Honey brand because his bees were not producing enough honey. Mr Metcalfe said that during wet weather, crops could spoil as bees became distressed and unable to produce honey. The 65-year-old has been a beecontinued on page 2 keeper for about 30 years and runs
Beekeeper Laurie Waldron inspects a frame of one of his hives. Laurie says the wet weather has made the bees a little sluggish. Photo Jeff ‘Hi Home I’m Honey’ Dawson
about 300 hives in the Tweed region with his son Darren. Although they are a relatively small business, he said the region’s larger commercial operators were also likely to be affected. The NSW Apiarist Association has estimated that honey yields across the Northern Rivers would be 50 per cent less than last year. Mr Metcalfe made up his hives last week before the heavy downpour struck and had been due to add queen bees to his swarm, but was unable to transport them due to the weather. Uki’s Laurie Waldron, 84, who keeps a smattering of hobby hives on his Smiths Creek Road property, also noticed his bees behaving sluggishly as a result of the wet weather. ‘They can’t get out and work you see, so it’s a matter of waiting until the sun comes out again,’ he said. Up to 150mm of rain soaked the
Tweed earlier this month and a further 100mm fell over the weekend, sparking severe weather warnings and flash flooding in some areas. The rainfall is well above average for this time of year. The spate of wet weather is another blow for the Metcalfe father and son team, who have already scaled back their operations in light of problems with the African hive beetle, a destructive pest in honey bee colonies. ‘You can’t get your honey off. We’ve got orders we can’t fill,’ said Mr Metcalfe. ‘Everything’s against us.’ The pest, which causes damage to honeycombs, stored honey and pollen, has severely curtailed the family’s livelihood from beekeeping, with his son having to take on another job. Mr Metcalfe said the pest made it increasingly difficult to maintain a sustainable beekeeping business.
ABN 82 087 650 682
<echowebsection=Local News>