SW Comment - The Liberals missed their golden opportunity  to disallow Minister Madden’s decision on the rezoning “Residential” of the Former Port Phillip Woollen Mill Site.  This site was supposed to be protected by the Shipyard Strategy Plan with JOBS in Williamstown protected. The Liberals sided with the ALP in the Legislative Chamber of Victoria’s parliament against The Greens on 13 April .  This makes one wonder how serious they are in defeating the Minister on planning decisions where wealthy developer are involved.  What went on behind closed doors with the Ministerial Advisors and the developer or in Liberal Party headquarters? One day we might find out if ministerial advisors are required to appear before the parliament!

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The Age

Paul Austin
August 12, 2010 - 3:00AM

“THE Windsor Hotel redevelopment affair could blow up before November's state election, with key upper house MPs contemplating the arrest of senior government advisers for contempt of Parliament.

The non-Labor parties are expected to use their numbers in the upper house to order the advisers to give sworn evidence about whether Premier John Brumby and Planning Minister Justin Madden were involved in an attempt to corrupt planning laws.

But the government intends to order the staff - Mr Brumby's chief media advisers George Svigos and Fiona Macrae and Mr Madden's chief-of-staff Justin Jarvis and former press secretary Peta Duke - to refuse to appear.

In a report to Parliament yesterday, Greens MP Greg Barber said that if the advisers maintained their defiant stand, they should be taken into custody by the upper house's security chief, the Usher of the Black Rod.

Mr Barber said he would then expect the government to mount a legal challenge in the Supreme Court - bringing on a constitutional battle over whether the executive or the Parliament is the supreme body........”

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/windsor-looms-as-election-spoiler-20100811-11zt1.html