IBAC is pursuing issues raised by The Sunday Age in October and November last year. The inquiry heard that Woodman-linked companies dramatically increased donations to Victorian Labor ahead of the 2018 state election. Donations to the party and its candidates jumped from $94,500 in 2015 to $157,900 in 2018. Donations to the Liberals for the 2018 election fell in the same period from $80,000 to $63,000. Mr Woodman is director of the prominent one-stop planning firm Watsons Pty Ltd. The Mornington-based firm is especially active in Melbourrne’s south and south-east. Donations have long been an important part of the company’s strategy for winning support for planning approvals. "My experience since the early '90s has been that supporting political parties during an election campaign will promote the opportunity during the elected time to meet with people and discuss a particular issue," Mr Woodman told the inquiry, adding that the system was stacked against those who could not pay for access. He said current laws were not adequate to control that access-buying. There is no suggestion that the donations and fundraisers have influenced any particular planning decisions by the Andrews government to favour Mr Woodman or his clients.

Among Mr Woodman's consultants has been lobbyist and Labor insider, Phil Staindl. On Tuesday Mr Staindl told The Age that after 15 years working for Mr Woodman and related companies he had terminated the relationship as a result of what he described as “shocking” revelations from the IBAC hearings. Loading Mr Staindl spoke extensively about his lobbying and Labor fundraising, confirming that he had represented Mr Woodman’s interest at a fundraiser for Mr Donnellan in 2018. He also confirmed that he and another Woodman consultant, planner and lawyer Megan Schutz, had met Mr Donnellan and pressed for government intervention on a project known as Hall Road, one of the key cases before IBAC. Mr Donnellan would not comment when quizzed about the fundraiser and the request for help from the Woodman consultants.

Mr Staindl also confirmed that in 2018 he and Ms Schutz met Pauline Richards, the Labor candidate for Cranbourne, where they talked about the proposal by Woodman client Leightons to rezone a piece of land at Cranbourne West from industrial to residential. The rezoning proposal had been supported by Casey council and is the major case of inappropriate developer influence being pursued by IBAC. Ms Richards has not returned calls from The Age. Former attorney-general Mr Pakula, another south-eastern MP, has also confirmed Watsons had contributed $3300 to his 2018 campaign through a fundraiser held at Crown Casino in April 2018. He denied claims made in the IBAC hearing that he received a separate donation of $20,800. Martin Pakula. Credit:Joe Armao Mr Pakula on Tuesday also denied approaching Mr Woodman. "I've never approached him for a donation," the Racing Minister said. "What may have occurred is that people organising a fundraiser for me may have invited him to attend a fundraiser."

He said he did not believe the Cranbourne West rezoning had been raised with him. Mr Staindl told The Age that Ms Schutz and Mr Woodman’s son Heath were scheduled to meet special minister of state Gavin Jennings at a Progressive Business Forum in 2017. On Tuesday night Mr Jennings confirmed the meeting as scheduled but could not recall it. He said he thought it had not happened. Mr Staindl said he had arranged fundraising events for Deputy Premier James Merlino and frontbencher Jacinta Allan, but not in his capacity as a lobbyist for Mr Woodman. Loading A spokeswoman for Mr Andrews confirmed he had attended one fundraising event in 2018 where Mr Woodman was present, but said he was one of more than 180 people at the event. “All donations have been appropriately declared,” the spokeswoman said.

Premier Andrews has also spoken at a non-political fundraiser for the Monash Medical Centre, attended by about 500 people and sponsored by Mr Woodman. On Tuesday the government stressed it had clamped down on donations including a ban on foreign donations and a $4000 cap on donations over a four-year parliamentary term. However, the new rules did not kick in until late November 2018, after the state election. Mr Staindl was on a $3000 retainer from Woodman-linked companies. Know more? Contact us securely through JournoTips