Well, gollee. Whowouldathunkit, this is such a Sydney story. First by way of background this story from the SMH in 2014 then below read the story from 2013 and see who the lobbyist is for Brookfield Multiplex.
“….Not only has property developer Brookfield Multiplex got Wentworth Park greyhound racetrack in its sights – it is also seeking to redevelop a swathe of the Blackwattle Bay foreshore.
The company wants to include the Sydney Fish Markets, the only public high school for students in the inner city, a concrete works and boat wharf in its unsolicited bid, set to be lodged with the state government.
Inner-city developer wants to buy Wentworth Park greyhound track.
So this got me wondering which lobbyists were behind Brookfield Multiplex and a few key strokes I later came up with this nugget from 2013
“…..Other public affairs companies in Sydney would have welcomed any one of the cast of politicians there that night – so how was a start-up outfit with less than half a dozen corporate clients able to attract the Liberal royalty?
Simple: the man behind PremierState, Michael Photios, had asked, and they had come.
The tag ”powerbroker” has become the most hackneyed of political descriptions but it fits Photios……. Very few MPs on level 53 of the MLC that night in 2011 would be able to claim the imprimatur of Photios and his group – sometimes referred to as ”the Group” – had not been crucial to their preselection, the doorway to Parliament and a political career.
Political influence at this level is a bankable commodity Photios knows well, and the best place to turn it into dollars is in lobbying. Fast forward to last December and PremierState was again celebrating. In a year, Photios’ list of clients had grown from a handful to more than 30.
Companies such as Xstrata Coal, Suncorp, Echo Entertainment, owner of Sydney’s Star casino, Caltex, Brookfield Multiplex and Transfield had all come on board, paying retainers of up to $20,000 a month for the best access to ministerial doors in Macquarie Street….” Charming army with links to party HQs