Press - 21 July-12 Aug 2009
The WEST AUSTRALIAN 12 August 2009
Cliffe affair headed to privileges
committee
BY ROBERT TAYLOR Sate Political Editor
The State Government appears certain to agree to sending allegations that Colin Barnett used his position as an MP to gain a benefit for his businessman son Russell by pushing to have Peppermint Grove historical home The Cliffe removed form the State's Heritage Register to the parliament's powerful privileges committee.
The owner of The Cliffe, mining entrepreneur Mark Creasy, is the major shareholder in a company run by Russell Barnett.
The State Opposition wanted the Parliament to debate amending the Corruption and Crime Commission Act to enable the allegations to be sent back to the CCC for investigation but the Government rejected the move.
Opposition frontbencher Mark McGowan claimed in Parliament that Mr Barnett misled parliament during the original debate on The Cliffe when he said that the owners had no reason to believe there was any heritage issue with the house when they bought it.
The privileges committee is expected to examine the allegations from Sydney man Brian Waldron.
Earlier, former Heritage Minister Michelle Roberts again defended her decision to support the delisting of the property in a personal explanation to the House.
South Perth MP John McGrath told the Parliament that the Premier had agreed to accept referring the matter to the privileges committee however debate continued in the House.
WAToday On line 12 August 2009
Rockers' house subject of probe into
heritage corruption
AAP
A state parliamentary privileges committee will investigate claims West Australian Premier Colin Barnett acted corruptly over the heritage register delisting of a house once home to Aussie rockers The Triffids.
Mr Barnett and former Labor heritage minister Michelle Roberts were named in a complaint lodged with the state's Corruption and Crime Commission over the withdrawal of the Perth home from the state's heritage register.
The premier last month disclosed the complaint, which followed parliament's approval of the removal of a heritage listing on the property known as The Cliffe, a Peppermint Grove residence in his Cottesloe electorate.
The Cliffe was the childhood home of two members of The Triffids - the late Dave McComb and his brother Robert McComb - and was the band's meeting place.
Millionaire prospector Mark Creasy is the owner of the property and a shareholder of a company called Freedom Eye, which is chaired by Mr Barnett's son Russell.
Sydney public servant Brian Waldron, whom Mr Barnett describes as a "Triffids groupie", lodged the complaint with the CCC, saying "something a bit crook may have been involved with these arrangements".
The CCC did not have the power to investigate the matter and referred it to the speaker of WA's lower house Grant Woodhams, who tabled the documents in the parliament on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, after a lengthy debate, the lower house referred the matter to the parliamentary privileges committee for investigation.
Mr Barnett said the government would not hinder the opposition's motion to do so but "tens of thousands of dollars might be spent on this spurious, vexatious, frivolous and false accusation".
"Now, I don't think it should go to the privileges committee because I know they are false, spurious and vexatious, malicious claims," Mr Barnett told parliament.
The premier said the assertions made by Mr Waldron were "scuttlebutt" and outrageous.
"And it is, it is defamatory," he said.
The premier said he had been defamed, as had his son Russell and Mr Creasy.
"My son will be dragged through the mud ... because you've given credibility to these outrageous, vexatious, irresponsible claims by Brian Waldron, Triffids fan and groupie from Sydney," Mr Barnett said.
The complaint was "all about The Triffids" rather than the "dilapidated" house at the centre of the heritage issue, Mr Barnett said.
"The people who are promoting this are not the people who care about the heritage value of The Cliffe. The people promoting this are the friends and supporters and fans of the Triffids," he said.
"They are interested in The Triffids and the glorification of The Triffids ..."
Russell Barnett had never met Mr Creasy and the premier was unaware the prospector was a major shareholder in the company his son chaired until after the complaint was made, Mr Barnett said.
Ms Roberts said it would be difficult for her or the premier to be exonerated unless the matter was examined by a committee.
Mr Barnett said WA Attorney-General Christian Porter would take responsibility of his CCC portfolio while the committee investigated the claim.
The Triffids formed in Perth in the late 1970s and disbanded in 1989.
The cult rock band was hugely successful in Australia and briefly made it big overseas, playing to an audience tired of punk and wanting a more folk rock or alternative sound.
The WEST AUSTRALIAN 12 August 2009
Mind the gap
INSIDE COVER with Daniel Hatch
The curious story of hippie muso conservationists banding together to save a wealthy man’s mansion in WA’s most prosperous suburb became even stranger this week when the Save The Cliffe group held a concert at which Colin “Sputnik” Barnett’s dental health became an issue.
The Cliffe, a run-down timber house on the clifftops at Peppermint Grove, became a cause for anti-development supporters in hemp pants and Birkenstock sandals when an old rock band, The Triffids, got involved and, in an instant, the welfare of the house became very cool. Next step – a petition. And an event.
The event, a concert to save the Cliffe, was held at the Railway Hotel in North Fremantle on Sunday, emceed by comedian and self-confessed Kevin Rudd impersonator Alex Manfrin. His mind was on other things.
“I had heard that the Premier was going to have his teeth capped,” The MC told the assembled dozens.
“Once those gaps are gone, they’re gone for ever,” he wisecracked when IC tracked him down.
“So, I asked everyone present to sign my Save The Gap petition, to ensure Colin’s toothy grin is saved for perpetuity.”
It’s not clear how many people signed on to save Sputnik’s au naturel dental work.
However, concert organiser Shaun Hoffmann told IC that 57 signatures were added to the Save The Cliffe paperwork, on top of the 1000-ish people who signed up online.
WAToday On-line 12 August 2009
WA parliament to investigate premier
BY ANDREA HAYWARD
A state parliamentary privileges committee will investigate claims West Australian Premier Colin Barnett acted corruptly over the heritage register delisting of a house once home to Aussie rockers The Triffids.
Mr Barnett and former Labor heritage minister Michelle Roberts were named in a complaint lodged with the state's Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) over the withdrawal of the Perth home from the state's heritage register.
The premier last month disclosed the complaint, which followed parliament's approval of the removal of a heritage listing on the property known as The Cliffe, a Peppermint Grove residence in his Cottesloe electorate.
The Cliffe was the childhood home of two members of The Triffids - the late Dave McComb and his brother Robert McComb - and was the band's meeting place.
Millionaire prospector Mark Creasy is the owner of the property and a shareholder of a company called Freedom Eye, which is chaired by Mr Barnett's son Russell.
Sydney public servant Brian Waldron, whom Mr Barnett describes as a "Triffids groupie", lodged the complaint with the CCC, saying "something a bit crook may have been involved with these arrangements".
The CCC did not have the power to investigate the matter and referred it to the speaker of WA's lower house Grant Woodhams, who tabled the documents in the parliament on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, after a lengthy debate, the lower house referred the matter to the parliamentary privileges committee for investigation.
Mr Barnett said the government would not hinder the opposition's motion to do so but "tens of thousands of dollars might be spent on this spurious, vexatious, frivolous and false accusation".
"Now, I don't think it should go to the privileges committee because I know they are false, spurious and vexatious, malicious claims," Mr Barnett told parliament.
The premier said the assertions made by Mr Waldron were "scuttlebutt" and outrageous.
"And it is, it is defamatory," he said. The premier said he had been defamed, as had his son Russell and Mr Creasy.
"My son will be dragged through the mud ... because you've given credibility to these outrageous, vexatious, irresponsible claims by Brian Waldron, Triffids fan and groupie from Sydney," Mr Barnett said.
The complaint was "all about The Triffids" rather than the "dilapidated" house at the centre of the heritage issue, Mr Barnett said.
"The people who are promoting this are not the people who care about the heritage value of The Cliffe. The people promoting this are the friends and supporters and fans of the Triffids," he said.
"They are interested in The Triffids and the glorification of The Triffids ..."
Russell Barnett had never met Mr Creasy and the premier was unaware the prospector was a major shareholder in the company his son chaired until after the complaint was made, Mr Barnett said.
Ms Roberts said it would be difficult for her or the premier to be exonerated unless the matter was examined by a committee.
Mr Barnett said WA Attorney-General Christian Porter would take responsibility of his CCC portfolio while the committee investigated the claim.
The Triffids formed in Perth in the late 1970s and disbanded in 1989.
The cult rock band was hugely successful in Australia and briefly made it big overseas, playing to an audience tired of punk and wanting a more folk rock or alternative sound.
ABC News On-line 12 August 2009
Barnett, Roberts misconduct claims to
be investigated
Allegations of serious misconduct against the Premier Colin Barnett and Labor frontbencher Michelle Roberts have been referred to a parliamentary committee for investigation.
Both MPs deny an accusation by Sydney man Brian Waldron that they engaged in misconduct in seeking to remove the heritage listing of a property in Peppermint Grove known as The Cliffe.
Both deny any wrongdoing.
The Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) referred the complaint to Parliament and after more than three hours of debate today, MPs voted to refer the allegations to the Procedure and Privileges Committee.
Ms Roberts told Parliament she had no objection to the complaint being examined by the Committee.
"The allegations are completely without foundation," she said.
Mr Barnett said it was a waste of time and money but he would not block the move.
"But I want to place it right on the record I regard that as absolute affront," he said.
"Tens of thousands of dollars might be spent on this spurious, vexatious, frivolous and false accusation."
Mr Barnett will hand his ministerial responsibility for the CCC to the Attorney General Christian Porter until the committee completes its investigation.
ABC News On-line 12 August 2009
Barnett opposed to Cliffe inquiry
Western Australia's Premier says it would be a waste of parliamentary resources to refer a misconduct complaint against him to a committee for investigation.
Colin Barnett and Labor frontbencher Michelle Roberts have been accused of engaging in misconduct for seeking the removal of The Cliffe, at Peppermint Grove, from the heritage list in 2007.
The Corruption and Crime Commission received the complaint and referred it to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. It was tabled in Parliament yesterday.
Barnett says he will agree to a motion by the Opposition later today to have both MPs provide an explanation to the Lower House.
But he does not think the matter should be referred to the Procedure and Privileges Committee.
"That's a matter for the Parliament and I won't buy into that," he said.
"But it would be, in my view, a waste of parliamentary resources to have any sort of investigation into a fanciful, malicious complaint as this."
But Michelle Roberts disagrees with the Premier.
"I think it's difficult for either himself or myself to be fully exonerated unless the matter is examined by a committee," she said.
ABC News On-line 12 August 2009
Ripper hounds Barnett over Cliffe
complaint
Western Australia's Opposition says it is prepared to test the Government's commitment to accountability by forcing the Premier to face a parliamentary inquiry over a misconduct allegation.
Colin Barnett and the former Heritage Minister, Michelle Roberts, have been accused acting improperly when they sought to remove The Cliffe, in Peppermint Grove, from the heritage register.
The Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) received the complaint and referred it to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Grant Woodhams, who say he cannot refer it to the privileges committee.
The Opposition Leader, Eric Ripper, says Labor will call for Mr Barnett's role in the affair to be referred to the privileges committee if he refuses to explain himself to Parliament today or if his explanation is insufficient.
"He owes the public and the Parliament an account of his involvement," he said.
Mr Ripper says Ms Roberts is happy to discuss the issue in Parliament.
But even if the Greens' Adele Carles and the Independents John Bowler and Janet Woollard voted with Labor, it would need the support of a Government MP for the motion to pass.
Reinstate and restore?
Meanwhile, The Cliffe is a step closer to preservation with a Peppermint Grove Shire Council committee recommendation.
The Health, Building and Town Planning Committee will take its recommendation to reinstate and restore the site to the council meeting next week.
The shire's chief executive, Graeme Simpson, says council will consider planning concessions to assist a developer to retain and restore the building.
The WEST AUSTRALIAN 12 August 2009
Premier pressed on Cliffe claims
BY ROBERT TAYLOR Sate Political Editor
The Labor Opposition will call on Premier Colin Barnett today to provide a personal explanation to parliament on claims that he pushed for an historic home top be removed from the heritage register to curry favour with its owner Mark Creasy for his businessman son.
Parliament got its first look at the allegations lodged with the Crime and Corruption Commission by a campaigner for The Cliffe, Brian Waldron.
Mr Waldron’s claims that Mr Barnett could have lobbied then heritage minister Michelle Roberts on behalf of mining entrepreneur Mr Creasy because Mr Creasy was the major shareholder in a company of which Mr Barnett’s son was a director.
Mr Waldron also claims that Mrs Roberts withheld advice from the Heritage Council on The Cliffe from Parliament when she backed a motion by Mr Barnett to remove the property from the heritage register and should have used the Heritage Act to acquire the house.
The CCC passed the allegations to Legislative Assembly Speaker Grant Woodhams after deciding that parliamentary privilege prevented it from pursuing the issue.
Corruption commissioner Len Roberts-Smith told Mr Woodhams that the CCC had assessed the information provided by Mr Waldron and had “formed the view that the allegations raised against Mr Barnett and Mrs Roberts are of serious conduct”.
Mr Woodhams tabled the CCC’s letter and Mr Waldron’s complaints and asked MPs to bring forward a motion to deal with them.
Labor’s Mark McGowan said he would introduce a motion today calling on Mr Barnett and Mrs Roberts to provide an explanation to the House.
PERTH NOW online 11 August 2009
Parliament to rule on row over
house that rocked
Article from: AAP
PARLIAMENT has been asked to deal with corruption claims levelled at Premier Colin Barnett over the heritage delisting of a Perth house.
Mr Barnett and former Labor government heritage minister Michelle Roberts are named in a complaint lodged with the state's Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) over the withdrawal of the Perth home from the state's heritage register.
Mr Barnett last month disclosed the complaint, which followed parliament's approval of the removal of a heritage listing on the property known as The Cliffe, a Peppermint Grove residence in his Cottesloe electorate.
The Cliffe was the childhood home of two members of The Triffids - the late Dave McComb and his brother Robert McComb - and was used by the band to compose and practise its songs.
Millionaire prospector Mark Creasy is the owner of the property and a shareholder of a company called Freedom Eye, which is chaired by Mr Barnett's son Russell Barnett.
Legislative Assembly speaker Grant Woodhams tabled a letter from the CCC to the parliament on Tuesday, which said the commission was not in a position to investigate the matter and asked for it to be referred onto parliament.
Mr Woodhams said that under the CCC Act, he had to allow disclosure to either house of parliament or the joint standing committee on the CCC.
"It is for the house to decide what action, if any, is to be taken on this matter and I table that particular letter,'' Mr Woodhams told parliament.
The Cliffe was removed from the heritage register last year, when Ms Roberts was heritage minister.
The action, which required bipartisan support, set a precedent in the WA parliament.
The WEST AUSTRALIAN 11 August 2009
Lower house to deal with Barnett
corruption claims
PERTH, AAP
The West Australian parliament has been asked to deal with corruption claims levelled at Premier Colin Barnett over the heritage delisting of the former home of rock band The Triffids.
Mr Barnett and former Labor government heritage minister Michelle Roberts are named in a complaint lodged with the state’s Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) over the withdrawal of the Perth home from the state’s heritage register.
Mr Barnett last month disclosed the complaint, which followed parliament’s approval of the removal of a heritage listing on the property known as The Cliffe, a Peppermint Grove residence in his Cottesloe electorate.
The Cliffe was the childhood home of two members of The Triffids - the late Dave McComb and his brother Robert McComb - and was used by the band to compose and practise its songs.
Millionaire prospector Mark Creasy is the owner of the property and a shareholder of a company called Freedom Eye, which is chaired by Mr Barnett’s son Russell Barnett.
Legislative Assembly speaker Grant Woodhams tabled a letter from the CCC to the parliament on Tuesday, which said the commission was not in a position to investigate the matter and asked for it to be referred onto parliament.
Mr Woodhams said that under the CCC Act, he had to allow disclosure to either house of parliament or the joint standing committee on the CCC.
“It is for the house to decide what action, if any, is to be taken on this matter and I table that particular letter,” Mr Woodhams told parliament.
The Cliffe was removed from the heritage register last year, when Ms Roberts was heritage minister.
The action, which required bipartisan support, set a precedent in the WA parliament.
ABC News On-line 11 August 2009
Premier, former minister to be asked
to 'please explain'
The WA Premier, Colin Barnett, and Labor frontbencher, Michelle Roberts, will be asked to respond in parliament to misconduct allegations made against them.
The complaint suggests Mr Barnett and the former Heritage Minister, Michelle Roberts, acted improperly by seeking to have a Peppermint Grove property known as The Cliffe removed from the heritage register.
The complaint was originally made to the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) but it was referred to the Speaker, Grant Woodhams, because it relates to parliamentary privilege.
However, he says he does not have the power to refer it to the Procedure and Privileges Committee for investigation.
The Manager of Opposition Business, Mark McGowan, has told Parliament he will take it further.
"I give notice, the next sitting of the House I will move the following motion, that the House call upon the Premier and member for the Midland to provide an explanation to the House in relation to the matters advised by the Corruption and Crime Commission and tabled by the Speaker," he said.
ABC News On-line 11 August 2009
Barnett's CCC complaint 'to be dealt with'
Misconduct complaints against Western Australia's Premier in relation to a historic Perth property will be dealt with when State Parliament resumes today.
Colin Barnett and the former Heritage Minister, Michelle Roberts, have been accused of acting improperly by seeking to remove the heritage status of The Cliffe, at Peppermint Grove.
The complaint was referred to Parliament by the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) in July. It suggests Mr Barnett tried to benefit his son, Russell Barnett, by having The Cliffe taken off the heritage list.
The owner of the property is a major shareholder in a company chaired by Russell Barnett.
The speaker of the WA Legislative Assembly, Grant Woodhams, says the allegations need to be dealt with.
"It's something that we do need to deal with, no matter what the allegation or who the people named might be," he said.
"It's appropriate, under the legislation that we have which impacts on the Corruption and Crime Commission, that it does get dealt with in Parliament."
Mr Woodhams says one of two measures will be taken. "There are essentially two options," he said. "One is to table that document in Parliament and enable the Parliament entire to make some decision as to appropriate action.
"The other course of action, equally as valid, would be for me to send it directly to the parliament procedures and privileges committee and enable them to take whatever action they think is appropriate."
The WEST AUSTRALIAN 8 August 2009
Barney keeps his eye on Freedom
Russell Barnett has increased his stake in the previously little-known Freedom Eye.
Stock exchange filings show that Premier Colin Barnett’s son and his fellow Freedom Eye directors boosted their holdings by taking up entitlements to last month’s $544,000 rights issue and picking up some of the 45 per cent shortfall from the raising.
Barnett Jr has an interest in 25.72 million shares, or about 4.4 per cent, either as a director of Kirke Securities or a trustee of the Barnett Pendal Family Trust. The latter’s holding is valued at $42,800, insignificant to some, but considerably more than the $1440 the trust had tied up in the company previously.
Freedom Eye endured its five minutes of prominence last month after allegations that Big Col used his position to have a 115-year-old house in Peppermint Grove owned by Mark Creasy removed from the State heritage register to benefit his son. Mr Creasy is the biggest shareholder in Freedom Eye.
The Barnetts and Creasy have denied the claims.
The POST Newspaper – 8 August 2009
Woodhams to reveal The Cliffe decision
BY ROMY RANALLI
Serious misconduct complaints against Premier Colin Barnett and Labor MP Michelle Roberts will be dealt with on Tuesday, says Legislative Assembly Speaker Grant Woodhams.
The complaints were sent to the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) by NSW public servant Brian Waldron, who is fighting against the heritage de-listing of The Cliffe in Peppermint Grove.
Mr Woodhams said the complaint against Mr Barnett and Ms Roberts, the MP for Midland, had been referred to him by the CCC because it was a parliamentary matter.
“Anything to do with a parliamentarian has to be referred back to Parliament,” he said. “It’s not about parliamentary privilege, it is a parliamentary matter, so it is the domain of the Parliament to make decisions about it.”
Parliament resumes on Tuesday after an eight-week winter recess.
The POST has seen a copy of the referral of the allegations by CCC head Len Roberts-Smith to Mr Woodhams.
Mr Roberts-Smith says in the letter that the CCC could not investigate the serious misconduct allegations without breaching parliamentary privilege.
Mr Woodhams said he had been looking into the complaint and would not ignore it.
“I could ignore it, technically that is an option, but I am not going to do that,” he said.
“I need to get the opinions of others about it and up until now that has been difficult because most people have been away on winter recess.”
Mr Woodhams is the chairman of Parliament’s procedures and privileges committee, made up of four other members, two from each main party.
“People need a chance to look at the paperwork, and the Premier and Ms Roberts might have something they want to bring to it,” he said.
Mr Waldron said he had legal advice that insisted the matter be dealt with by the CCC, not Parliament.
“Allegations, which the commission considers to be of serious misconduct by MPs, are to be investigated by the commission and not referred to the presiding officers of the Parliament,” he said.
Mr Waldron became familiar with The Cliffe when he visited the late Australian rock legend David McComb, of The Triffids, whose family owned the house between 1962 and 1994.
He said he alerted the CCC in March to a business relationship between Mr Barnett’s son, Russell, and the owner of The Cliffe, Mark Creasy.
In 2007, while in opposition, Mr Barnett petitioned Parliament for the removal of The Cliffe on behalf of Mr Creasy, who had been trying to demolish it since buying it from the McComb family in 1995.
The 115-year-old house is the first to be removed from the state heritage register, a decision supported by Labor but condemned by the Greens.
A report by the Heritage Council to Ms Roberts, who was Heritage Minister at the time, stressed the house had significant heritage value and should not be scrubbed from the register.
Mr Waldron said Ms Roberts had not heeded the advice and should be investigated for allegedly withholding the information from Parliament.
The POST Newspaper – 8 August 2009
Big Freo gig to save The Cliffe
Local musicians are getting together to help save The Cliffe.
On Sunday, 12 bands will stage an all-day concert at Fremantle’s Railway Hotel to help raise money for, and awareness about, the Peppermint Grove property.
Performers include Kevin Smith and the Seven Storey Jumpers, The Morning Night, Salvage Diver, The Jayco Brothers, The Honeys, The Old Croak, Felicity Groom, Matthew De La Hunty, Good Night Tiger, Ellen Oosteraan, Robbie Jalapeno and The Unbelievable Truth.
Adrian Hoffman, of The Morning Night, said saving the house was more than about preserving the legacy of The Triffids, whose front man, the late David McComb, and his brother, lead guitarist Rob McComb, lived there with their parents.
The McCombs, who owned the place for 32 years, sold it to Mark Creasy who wants to demolish it.
The band rehearsed and recorded at the house and many local musicians visited throughout the 1980s.
“It was an amazing place and we can’t let Perth’s cultural heritage disappear,” Adrian said. “
We really want to make it clear to politicians that there are many people who recognize the unique value the place had.”
Martin Casey, former bass player with The Triffids, will be joining the bands and playing a few Triffids’ tunes.
Entry is $8 and the concert kicks off at 2pm.
The POST Newspaper – 8 August 2009 - Letters
MPs should answer on The Cliffe
Audrey Hine
Wanneroo
Thank goodness for Greens leader Giz Watson and the great work by the POST in keeping us informed about the saga of The Cliffe.
Ms Watson has tabled a notice of motion in Parliament to rescind the heritage de-listing vote.
And the complaint by Cliffe supporter Brian Waldron to Corruption and Crime head Len Roberts-Smith may be referred for investigation by a parliamentary committee regarding allegations of serious misconduct by Premier Colin Barnett and former Labor Heritage Minister Michelle Roberts. I
n my opinion, there is an appearance of prior agreement by both parties. How many politicians were privy to the Heritage Council’s report advising Mrs Roberts not to remove The Cliffe from the Heritage Register?
And why was this issue rushed through Parliament almost without any discussion?
Our politicians should hang their heads in shame – Ms Roberts, in particular, has a lot to answer for.
In my opinion, she should pay for this by giving up her seat.
POST Newspapers 1 August 2009 - Letters
Move The Cliffe? What a hide!
Brian Waldron
Woolloomooloo, NSW
Perth MP John Hyde says we should keep The Cliffe, but move it. When will our politicians realize that heritage is as much about place as it is about the object?
Using Mr Hyde’s argument, we could open up some valuable land for development by moving Fremantle Jail to Beverley or Katanning, and Fremantle and Perth ovals could be relocated to Three Springs and Mullewa, respectively.
If that sounds ridiculous, it is no less stupid than moving The Cliffe from its high point on Devil’s Elbow to some other place ... any place.
Equally unbelievable is Mr Hyde’s notion that this heritage house need not be returned to the Heritage Register, but be awarded some other formal heritage recognition. It is already classified by the National Trust and included on both the Register of the National Estate and the Peppermint Grove Heritage Inventory. I don’t think “recognition” is the problem.
I hope Mr Hyde will not be yet another politician who prefers his own judgment in heritage matters over that of the state’s heritage experts.
That was what got us into this mess in the first place.
The WEST AUSTRALIAN 27 July 2009
Labor in bid to shift The Cliffe
BY ALANA BUCKLEY-CARR
The historic homestead The Cliffe should be moved to public land and the State Government should help in its restoration, according to the Opposition.
Shadow heritage minister John Hyde said yesterday that the heritage value of the Peppermint Grove was in the structure of the house more than where it was located.
For that reason, it should be relocated to another area, Mr Hyde said.
“In light of the obvious passion surrounding the fight to save this historic building the Heritage Minister should now intervene and consider assisting the owner and the shire to preserve The Cliffe,” Mr Hyde said.
“While the original 1894 building has been compromised, there is clear cultural significance in The Cliffe that deserves preservation.”
Mr Hyde said that while the house did not necessarily need to be put back on the State Heritage Register it might require some form of formal heritage recognition, qualifying it for Heritage Council funding.
Former Labor minister, Michelle Roberts approved the house’s removal from the register in 2007. [actually August 2008]
Mr Hyde said the Peppermint Grove Tennis Club was interested in having the house on its grounds.
Property owner Mark Creasy has been granted a demolition order for the house but has agreed not to proceed with demolition until ways to preserve it are explored.
The SUNDAY TIMES 26 July 2009
Cliffe’s fate left hanging
BY LINDA CANN
Peppermint Grove Shire Council has until the end of this year to decide the fate of The Cliffe, a rare jarrah mansion scrubbed from the heritage register last year.
Shire chief Graham Simpson said he had not received much community feedback and the council would make a decision on the home when the town planning committee submitted its recommendations.
The Cliffe is owned by millionaire prospector Mark Creasy, who bought it from the parents of The Triffids’ lead singer David McComb, for $2.7 million in 1995.
Mr Creasy and his lawyers have argued the home is dilapidated and he should be allowed to demolish or move it to another site.
The POST Newspaper – 25 July 2009
Cliffe demolition licence stays in place
BY ROMY RANALLI
Glowing reports on the condition of The Cliffe have not convinced the Shire of Peppermint Grove to revoke a demolition licence for the 115-year-old building.
This week shire president Brian Kavanagh told councilors he believed the $55,000 study of the property’s heritage value was “an excellent report”.
The report was commissioned and paid for by the council and would now be assessed by the building committee, he said.
The report, by heritage and conservation experts and builders, gave the building the highest rating for a heritage property.
They said The Cliffe had “exceptional heritage significance” and restoring it would cost much less than had been suggested in the past.
Mr Kavanagh said that when the demolition licence had been issued the shire had no other choice. I
t was issued last year after the building was taken off the Register of Heritage Places by then Heritage Minister Michelle Roberts following a request by Premier and Cottesloe MP Colin Barnett, who at the time was on the backbench of the Liberal Party Opposition.
Mr Barnett said the place was “dilapidated beyond repair”.
Both MPs have been the subject of a Corruption and Crime Commission complaint into their handling of the de-listing.
“Parliament took it off the register, even though we had recognized it as category 1,” Mr Kavanagh said.
“We had issued demolition licences for a few of our category 1 places before and I think everybody felt that although we could see that there was some value in the old conservation plan that we had, we couldn’t really hold up a building demolition licence.”
Mr Kavanagh said the Future Study Report on The Cliffe showed that MPs got it wrong when they took the unprecedented decision to remove the property’s heritage protection.
“It is quite evident that the minister of the day went against the advice of her department,” he said.
“But she says that it was her right not to take any notice of the advice.”
But the council will not pressure the government to re-list The Cliffe and instead try to work with owner Mark Creasy to find a solution that would avoid demolition.
Mr Kavanagh said: “We have looked to find some way we could retain The Cliffe in the boundaries of Peppermint Grove while not going through a very long and legal process of having it put back on the state register.
“Throughout the process Mr Creasy has been more than willing and cooperative in giving the shire and other interested parties the opportunity to put their point across and offer alternatives.
“He has never indicated to me that he is in any hurry to demolish the building and we will continue to work with him to come to an outcome that satisfies everybody.”
Mr Kavanagh said the best outcome would be for someone else to buy The Cliffe and restore it.
“I have heard there has been interest from Indonesia and England, but in Peppermint Grove most sales are done quietly and privately and it would be a matter for Mr Creasy alone,” he said.
“The media coverage that has been generated about The Cliffe in some ways is very good for the marketing of the house and would have reached people who wouldn’t have heard about it otherwise.”
The saga, and the controversy generated by the demolition and subdivision of other heritage properties in the suburb, had forced residents to re-evaluate the way heritage was protected within the shire, he said.
“The Town Planning Scheme is under review and we have commissioned a heritage consultant,” he said.
“When we look at what is important to residents it comes down to streetscape.
“A lot of homes will need modernisation to bring them up to a standard, but there could be a way of preserving facades to reflect the ambience of Peppermint Grove.”
The POST Newspaper – 25 July 2009
Why the CCC could not deal with Cliffe
BY BRET CHRISTIAN
The Corruption and Crime Commission had no choice but to refer a complaint about The Cliffe, in Peppermint Grove, to Parliament, a spokesman for the CCC said.
The complaint was made to the CCC about the involvement in Parliament of Premier Colin Barnett and Labor frontbencher Michelle Roberts in the de-listing from the heritage register of the historic house last year.
In a letter to Brian Waldron, who made the complaint, CCC commissioner Len Roberts-Smith said he had considered the complaint and made further preliminary inquiries. I
n another letter to Grant Woodhams, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Mr Roberts-Smith summarised what he said were Mr Waldron’s allegations and said they had been assessed (POST, 18/7).
“The commission ... has formed the view that the allegations raised against Mr Barnett and Ms Roberts are of serious misconduct,” Mr Roberts-Smith wrote to Mr Woodhams.
He went on to point out why the CCC could not investigate the allegations.
It could not do so without calling into question what was said in Parliament by Mr Barnett and Ms Roberts, the letter said.
It said the politicians were protected from this scrutiny by parliamentary privilege.
This protects MP’s from legal action being taken over what they say in Parliament.
So the only option for the CCC was to refer the complaints to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Mr Roberts-Smith said in the letter.
Mr Barnett said last week he would prefer the Speaker to have the complaint investigated by Parliament’s powerful privileges committee, which has the power to call witnesses to give evidence under oath.
The assessment of the “allegations of serious misconduct” brings this process into uncharted waters.
No such “serious” allegation has ever been referred to Parliament by the CCC.
In fact, “serious misconduct” is specifically excluded when the law defines how the Parliament deals with complaints about Members of Parliament.
Mr Waldron says the law is silent on what should happen.
He says high-level legal advice he has been given can only be interpreted to mean that now that the CCC has assessed the allegations and informed the Speaker, the Parliament’s privileges committee should refer the complaint back to the CCC for a full investigation.
This week, he sent this advice to Mr Roberts-Smith.
The advice says that the privileges committee must require the CCC to conduct the inquiry on its behalf.
POST Newspaper 25 July 2009 - Letters
When Garrett gigged in
The Triffids’ shadow
Mitchell Barnes
Cambridge Street, Wembley
Re your report, “Barnett hanging over The Cliffe edge” (POST, 18/7), and the manner in which politicians have been manipulated, why did former Labor Heritage Minister Michelle Roberts go against her own department’s advice? What was in it for her?
In my view, she has compromised her principles and those of her party and her credibility is shot.
Premier Colin Barnett stated that he didn’t know the company his son is chairman of was being propped up by Cliffe owner Mark Creasy. Do I have a busted bullshit barometer?
He is quick to point the finger at others. He says this is all about The Triffids. It’s not, but that seems to be where he wants the battle fought.
I was also interested to read the report, “Garrett says no to listing” (POST, 18/7), which says that federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett has decided The Cliffe is not for saving.
It may interest your readers to know that Mr Garrett has some history with The Triffids. I was living in London during the early and mid-80s when both The Triffids and Garrett’s former band, Midnight Oil, were doing gigs.
I recall several positive reviews about The Triffids in entertainment magazines like Time Out. Midnight Oil received passing reference as their irritating warm-up.
The Triffids were a big thing in London’s music scene. In gigs and festivals across England and the continent in the summer of 1985, they were always billed above Midnight Oil.
They got the reviews. Midnight Oil were ignored by all bar the Aussie Oktoberfesters, of course.
On returning to Australia to watch some decent cricket later that year, I recall endless unctuous articles about Midnight Oil’s European summer of success. The Triffids barely cracked a mention.
When they did, the inference was they were there only by Midnight Oil’s munificence. I don’t remember any correction from Peter Garrett.
It is gig protocol that the support band does the lugging in and out of the headline act. Mr Garrett as a Triffids’ unpaid roadie? He wouldn’t, would he? He’s far too principled.
Whatever happens, our heritage laws need strengthening. Go on, Mr Barnett, there has never been a better opportunity to prove your credentials.
The Cliffe is only one shady chapter in a very sorry saga. But maybe enough Baby Boomers – y’know the ones who protested against the Vietnam War and woodchipping – will draw the line at The Cliffe.
COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS – 21 July 2009
Cliffe’s heritage value rated ‘exceptional’
LETTER BY John Dowson, Fremantle
THE big story recently has been The Cliffe residence in Peppermint Grove and its delisting from the Heritage Council register.
It is very disappointing that Premier Colin Barnett continues to make ill-informed statements about the heritage values of The Cliffe.
On ABC Radio he repeated his view that “it’s dilapidated....the place is a wreck... it’s fallen down... it’s falling apart”.
He continues to make these statements despite the latest assessment of the place done for the Shire of Peppermint Grove, which concluded that the place was of “exceptional significance”. There is no higher level of significance available to heritage experts doing assessments.
The Premier has also repeated the claim that when The Cliffe was not heritage listed when Mark Creasy bought it.
The fact is that when Mr Creasy bought the place in 1995, it had already been listed by the National Trust in 1984 and had been listed on the register of the National Estate since 1992. And, more s
