In the past,
Australia earned the reputation as “The Lucky Country” - yet
in the past 30 years, my father and I have experienced the
effects of Marginalization caused by Bureaucratic Abuse on
several occasions:
A HISTORY OF LAND
DEALINGS WITH THE
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT:
1973 – Manufacturing
Plant – Sawmill on Industrial land in Ewing Street,
Welshpool – Sold to Public Works Dept. for $23,000. The land
was required for a “Stephenson Plan” Proposal for the
construction of a large roundabout (similar to the West end
of The Causeway). Plan changed 18 months later – the land
became “surplus to requirements”.
1978 – The family
home in Cook Street, West Perth was sold to PMH for
“Hospital Purposes” (A car park extension).
1985 – The sixth
request, an appeal to the Premier, Mr Brian Burke, to
re-purchase the Industrial land in Welshpool, under the
provision of the Public Works Act (“First Right” clause) was
declined. Mr Burke added that the block would be auctioned
to recover monies spent on a “System 6 Scheme”. (After many
years, I believe that this was a “Lotto” Scheme).
The Public Works Act
prohibited the capitalization of land obtained by
resumption, or threat of resumption, and should have been
offered back to the original owner, at the original price
paid.
1985 – I purchased a
5 acre block in Banjup, and submitted the House Plans to the
City of Cockburn. A request to sell landscaping materials
from the block, on a part-time basis was refused. I was
advised that the proposal was “Too Commercial for a Dog
Kennel Zone”!
An Appeal to the
Minister for Planning was refused.
I was advised that
the House Plans had been approved – more than 2 ½ years
after they had been submitted. They had “Lost My Telephone
Number”- yet the Builder, and I were both listed in the
Telephone Directory.
We had waited for 18
months, and had already sold the block.
1989 – The Industrial
block in Ewing Street, Welshpool was listed for auction by
Peet & Co, on behalf of the State Planning Commission.
On approaching the
Commonwealth Development Bank, I was advised that I had
Insufficient Assets
to purchase the land at the anticipated market rate of
$200,000
The block was sold to
a land speculator for $165,000 who planned to re-sell the
land for $200,000 after two years.
After the auction, an
employee of Peet & Co, (working on behalf of the State
Planning Commission), came over to apologize for the moves
that he had made to have the business, and the sawmill,
removed from the site because he thought that our presence
on the site might jeopardize the price that could be
obtained at the auction – but the auction had set a
benchmark for the price of Industrial land in Welshpool, at
that time.
1991 – I signed a 10
year lease with the Railways, for an old Railway Siding
In Bibra Lake
(adjacent to an Industrial Zone) to relocate the sawmill
from Welshpool . After 5 months of negotiation, including
weekly discussions with the State Planning Commission
Officers, Approval for the Development was granted by the
State Planning Commission.
On approaching the
City of Cockburn for a Building License, I was advised that
they had been “on the phone “ about this Approval since
early morning, and that a “Computer Error” had issued the
Approval!
My response was: “I
have three pages here, in English, stating that I have
Unconditional Approval, but I will get it for you in Greek,
but it will still state that I have Unconditional Approval
to proceed with the Development!”
At 4pm that day I
received a phone call from the State Planning Commission
Officer who had signed the Approval Notice that a “Computer
Error” had issued the
Approval For
Development. (The same Planning Officer was later promoted
to the
Office of the
Minister for Planning).
A meeting of the City
of Cockburn, held in closed session, determined that:
1) Log Trucks would
damage the road. (At that time, Hatch Place was the access
road to the site from Forrest Road, now North Lake Road).
I rang the Planning
Officer concerned and responded: “You have to be kidding,
that has to be the worst road in Perth – it is full of
Pot-holes because the City of Cockburn has not maintained
the road since the Railways were operating on the site 25
years ago!”
He responded: “That
is Precisely Why Log Trucks Would Damage The Road!”
I told him that there
was a large pile of blue metal on the site, and I would take
a bucket, and a shovel, and fill every pot-hole.
He responded: “That’s
not good enough! Would you like to pay for the road
repairs?”
So, I asked: “How
much would the road repairs cost?”
He replied: “$80 per
metre, full width.” (The road we were discussing was the
access road, Hatch Place, outside the site gate, and about
200 metres to the main road, so that was a quote for
$16,000!)
I responded: “That’s
about the same price as carpet, and I would rather have
carpet!”
A friend later
commented that corrupt councils always make their extortion
“fee”, sound like a “technical payment”.
(The log trucks that
had been supplying the Mountain Movers Sawmill, in
Ewing Street,
Welshpool, were in fact, Forestry Contractors, under the
control, and direction of CALM - The State Government
Department, at that time, that was responsible for all
forest products).
CALM was under
contract to supply logs that were suitable for the
production of Railway Sleepers, as we were under contract to
supply Westrail (West Australian Government Railways) with
16,000 Railway Sleepers per year, at a price of $25 per 2.1m
sleeper, and $30 per 2.5m sleeper, a contract amounting to
$320,000 per year.
We had supplied the
Railways with 12,000 Railway Sleepers by the time we moved
to Bibra Lake – we had planned on re-establishing the
machinery and facilities, to be operational in six weeks, in
order to complete the annual quota.
The Railways Act of
1904, which established the WAGR, states: “that the Railways
have the right to lease land to whoever they see fit – for
whatever purpose they see fit”.
Yet, in this regard,
even an incomplete “Ombudsman” report, relates: “Aside from
the strictly legal position……”
Why?
