Coalition must ‘urgently explain’ more than $30m it paid for western Sydney airport offsets, federal Labor says Lisa Cox
Federal Labor is demanding the Morrison government “urgently explain” more than $30m in offsets it bought for the western Sydney airport, joining the Greens in calling for an investigation.
And the New South Wales opposition wants a wider inquiry into the management of the state’s environmental offsets scheme and tens of millions of dollars in offset credits purchased from properties linked to consultants whose company advised the government on development in western Sydney.
The NSW Greens have said they will also push for a parliamentary inquiry.
First published on Wed 28 Apr 2021 22.14 EDT
Federal Labor is demanding the Morrison government âurgently explainâ more than $30m in offsets it bought for the western Sydney airport, joining the Greens in calling for an investigation.
And the New South Wales opposition wants a wider inquiry into the management of the stateâs environmental offsets scheme and tens of millions of dollars in offset credits purchased from properties linked to consultants whose company advised the government on development in western Sydney.
The NSW Greens have said they will also push for a parliamentary inquiry.
Guardian Australia revealed that an environmental consultant who holds interests in a property that made more than $40m selling conservation offsets to governments has interests in two other properties â Hampden Vale and Hardwicke â that have sold tens of millions of dollars more.
Anthony Whealy, the director of the Centre for Public Integrity and a former NSW supreme court judge, said: âThe sheer magnitude of the profits realised by private individuals and companies from a scheme essentially designed to protect and restore the environment raises serious concerns.â
The transactions warranted âa thorough investigation by the NSW auditor generalâ, he said.
Offsets are used to compensate for the environmental destruction caused by major development by protecting and restoring endangered habitat elsewhere.
In NSW, developers can do this by purchasing offset credits from properties that landholders have committed to conserving permanently under an agreement with the state government.