Corruption findings by Independent Commission Against Corruption
In 2016, The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption released a report on their investigation codenamed Operation Spicer. Operation Spicer was an 'Investigation into NSW Liberal Party Electoral Funding for the 2011 State Election Campaign and Other Matters'. In 2011, Jeff McCloy, as a property developer, was a banned donor, to parties and candidates in state elections as state governments have jurisdiction over land appropriations etc. in Australia. McCloy not only made political donations, he made so many large cash payments to Members of Parliament that he referred to himself in the Independent Commission Against Corruption hearings as a 'Walking ATM'. The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption sought to prove that Jeff McCloy intentionally made covert payments to state government election candidates and that McCloy was aware that his donations were illegal because of his 'developer' status. It was reported by the Sydney Morning Herald that Cardiff vet Andrew Cornwell was in the middle of an operation on a dog when he was summoned outside by McCloy. McCloy handed Cornwell $10,000 in cash, cash that was later used to fund Cornwell's state parliament election campaign. On 30 August 2016, the Newcastle Herald reported that MCloy called Independent Commission Against Corruption 'A $20m waste of time'. 47% of Fairfax's online respondents agreed with McCloy's view. McCloy described the factual findings against him as 'a parking fine, a speeding fine'.Correlation between the corruption findings and McCloy Group developments
Listed in the 'Principal Factual Findings made by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption in regards to Operation Spicer are the below references to Jeff McCloy. Finding Reference Group 1: Regarding The Seat of Port Stephens ''Quote page 22 of the commission's report:'' "In 2007, Craig Baumann, the NSW Liberal Party candidate for the seat of Port Stephens, entered into an arrangement with Mr McCloy and Mr (Hilton) Grugeon to disguise from the Election Funding Authority the fact that companies associated with Mr McCloy and Mr Grugeon had donated $79,684 towards Mr Baumann’s 2007 NSW election campaign." Finding Reference Group 1 Correlation with Development: Craig Baumann held the seat of Port Stephens in the NSW Parliament from 2007 to 2015. McCloy Group has developments within the Port Stephens state seat areas including ''The Bower'' (Medowie, NSW) and ''Potter's Lane'' (Raymond Terrace, NSW) Finding Reference Group 2: Regarding The State Seat of Newcastle ''Quote page 20 of the commission's report:'' "In about February 2011, Jeffrey McCloy gave Hugh Thomson $10,000 in cash as a political donation to fund Mr Owen’s 2011 election campaign for the seat of Newcastle with the intention of evading the Election Funding Act laws relating to the ban on the making of political donations by property developers and the applicable cap on political donations. ''Quote page 21 of the commission's report:'' "Mr (Mike) Gallacher was responsible for proposing to Mr McCloy and Mr (Hilton) Grugeon an arrangement whereby each of them would contribute to the payment of Luke Grant for his work on Mr Owen’s 2011 election campaign. He did so with the intention that the Election Funding Act laws in relation to the prohibition on political donations from property developers and the requirements for the disclosure of political donations to the Election Funding Authority would be evaded..." ''Quote page 21 of the commission's report:'' Mr Owen, Mr Thompson, Mr Grugeon and Mr McCloy were parties to an arrangement whereby payments totalling $19,875 made to Mr Grant for his work on Mr Owen’s 2011 election campaign were falsely attributed to services allegedly provided to companies operated by Mr McCloy and Mr Grugeon. Finding Reference Group 2 Correlation with Development: Part a Jeff McCloy and McCloy Group has ongoing commercial development concerns within the Newcastle State seat locality, including 'City Exchange' and 'Telstra Civic'. Both sites will benefit significantly from the highly controversial Newcastle Transport Interchange and Light Rail due for completion in 2019, a major infrastructure project implemented by the NSW Liberal state government. Finding Reference Group 2 Correlation with Development: Part b McCloy Group's 'City Exchange' is tenanted by a gym owned by Wests Group. Wests Group are a not-for-profit gambling entity that, according to its 2017 Annual Report', made $143m in revenue in the year ending January 2017. As a group whose business interests are primarily involved in gambling, Wests Group are an illegal donor to political candidates in NSW, and as Lord Mayor of Newcastle and proprietor of McCloy group, incomes from Wests Group to Jeff McCloy or McCloy Group are considered indirect political donations.Other Hunter Street property concerns
Relative to the highly controversial Newcastle Interchange, McCloy bought the Blackwoods property at Hannell St, Wickham in December 2006, the former Hunter Water headquarters at 591 Hunter Street in October 2007 (since subdivided, with the 591-address property sold and the 593-601 address retaining its heritage exterior), and a half shareholding of 356 Hunter Street in 2009. 591 Hunter Street and 356 Hunter Street are multi-block buildings that are on the Light Rail route, planned for completion in 2019. The Newcastle Herald reported that in late 2007, McCloy bought the former Toymasters building at 615 Hunter Street, which was sold by McCloy in 2009. As of December 2017, 615 Hunter Street is tenanted by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services. The address 615 Hunter Street Newcastle West is on the Light Rail route. Also in late 2007, McCloy bought 'the former Churchills building' at 633 Hunter Street Newcastle West, which he sold in February 2015. In 2008, McCloy bought The Lucky Country Hotel, now known as The Lucky, which was one of only two of his Hunter Street purchases that saw development under his tenure. Over a ten year spending spree which included Hunter Street properties plus other holdings (a commercial property in Brown Street, a stately 'town' home in Church Street and Bolton Street's 'Legacy House' (now demolished and replaced with apartments) McCloy claims to have suffered $15.7 million in losses.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCloy, Jeff Mayors and Lord Mayors of Newcastle New South Wales local councillors Independent politicians in Australia Living people Rights in the Australian Constitution cases Year of birth missing (living people)