A Canberra developer donated thousands of dollars to the ACT government over four years, during the negotiation of an approval to lease for a Kingston supermarket.
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Since 2011, the Koundouris Group donated $11,100 to the ACT Labor party in gifts and receipts, the last $1200 of which was given about a month before they signed their approval to lease last month.
It was part of $225,000 in developer donations given to the ACT government over the past five years, as revealed by the Sunday Canberra Times two weeks ago.
The Canberra Liberals have largely backed ACT Labor's approach to accepting money from developers over recent years but would consider introducing a donation declaration form on development applications.
The Koundouris Group had been in negotiations with the government since 2010, according to a Land Development Agency spokesman.
During that time, members of the Koundouris Group donated $11,100 to ACT Labor – $3600 in 2011/12 and $7500 from James Koundouris between 2012 and 2014.
A spokeswoman for the Koundouris Group declined to comment on the donations.
Meanwhile, a consultancy firm and its chief executive donated $13,343 to ACT Labor over the past five years, which included a period working for Elementus Energy on the controversial Coree Solar Farm project
Purdon Associates chief executive Rob Purdon said his organisation had worked with Elementus Energy to prepare the development application for the Coree Solar Farm and submitted the final version.
He said his company made contributions to all political parties in the ACT from time to time.
"It's a way of being able to have a better understanding of the priorities and issues associated with those parties and it gives us the opportunity to discuss with those parties things that are of interest," Mr Purdon said.
"There is no relationship between any of our development activity on behalf of clients, be they government or private, and any suggestion that we are making donations to parties in return for specific favours is absolute nonsense."
Opposition leader Jeremy Hanson said a recent committee inquiry into electoral reform had already strengthened democracy in the ACT through a number of recommendations including increased public funding.
He said donations had not affected any decisions during his eight years in the Legislative Assembly.
But Mr Hanson said he would consider introducing a NSW reform to attach a donations disclosure to all ACT development applications.
"Obviously I need to look at the detail but I would be supportive of any measure that enhances scrutiny," he said. "I think that what we need to do is look at the learnings from NSW to make sure that the NSW disease never affects the ACT."
ACT Labor secretary Matt Byrne said the planning process in the ACT was independent from government and interference by political parties, with all development applications conducted by ACTPLA.
"ACT Labor is a party that conducts its affairs with integrity and with a keen understanding of our ethical obligations to our members and to the community. We object to any inference or allegations of impropriety," he said.
"There is no possibility for a person to gain influence over planning decisions by donating to ACT Labor."
