Sartor the labor party Santa giving to party's donors

Sartor&squo;s spirit needs exorcising | The Daily Telegraph

LIKE an army in retreat, former planning emperor Frank Sartor caused as much damage as he could before he was dumped.

One of his last decisions, just days before he was axed by his own party, was to approve a major development at Catherine Hill Bay the last unspoilt and undeveloped gem on the Central Coast. It was, you might say, a symbolic end to a reign of terror.

Not since the dark days of Robin Askin in the 1970s have the people of this state experienced such frustration and anxiety.

From Catherine Hill Bay to Currawong, from Kuringai to Redfern, nothing was too big or too small or too precious for Sartor. If it interested him, if there was something in it for the Labor Party, he would take over.

All Sartor had to do was to declare a development state significant and slap on Part 3A of the planning legislation, effectively barring everyone - councils, courts and communities - from the decision-making process. The only person who could call the shots was Sartor himself.

Since Sartor approved the proposal by Rose Group, a big donor to the Labor Party, to develop 600 houses at the southern end of Catherine Hill Bay last week, I have received countless emails and phone calls from well-wishers expressing their disgust and anger at the Government's decision.

Bob, a retired miner from Swansea, said: "I've voted Labor all my life, never again."

Hans, from Summerland Point, was encouraging: "People are saying to me, now that we have a new Minister for Planning we can undo this."

From Brisbane, David came to tell me that Queensland's Premier Anna Bligh is considering banning development on old mining sites across the state to prevent property damage caused by subsidence.

He asked, by granting development approval to the Rose Group on an old mining site, wasn't the Government of NSW effectively underwriting the developer. If subsidence occurs then taxpayers are liable.

These are genuine voices from Labor's heartland. Not yuppies, not trendies, and certainly not nimbys. They're working men and women of Australia, the people that Sartor has ignored and treated with disdain.

Although Cranky Frank has gone, the stench of his administration hangs over this new Government. Most of the policies that have angered and disappointed the public are still in place. The undemocratic Part 3A legislation which gives the planning minister unfettered power is still with us.

Already, only a few days into her job, the new minister Kristina Keneally has been tainted with political donations by developers.

This is a result of Part 3A - with so much power in one hand and no checks and balances, the perception is that the approval process is open to influence.

If the new Premier is serious about starting afresh and restoring our faith in public administration, he could do a lot worse than distance himself from these unpopular and controversial policies.

Indeed, the people of NSW need to know where Premier Rees stands on these issues. Does he support Part 3A? Does he approve of the development of Catherine Hill Bay?

The Premier can win back our trust if he can reverse the damage Sartor has done.

Sue Whyte is president of the Catherine Hill Bay Progress Association