Barangaroo will be a great development when it's done - given its location with Sydney Harbour lapping at its shores you'd have to work really, really hard to stuff it up.

But that's what Labor, Sussex Street, weak-kneed Liberals and the CFMEU have been doing.   Now we learn of the grovelling approach to get the Clinton Foundation's endorsement, forwarded from the Foundation to then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton within hours of the proposal being dispatched.

The costs, controversies and CFMEU corruption make the Barangaroo project a typical and tragic example of good intentions screwed up by Labor governments.   And where there's big bucks, showcase greenie-influenced developments and famous people involved, the Clintons usually aren't far behind.

Here's some background to the Barangaroo development saga - this summary from Wikipedia.

Initially placed in the hands of Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, the Barangaroo Delivery Authority was established pursuant to the Barangaroo Delivery Authority Act, 2009 No 2 to facilitate a high quality commercial and mixed use precinct at Barangaroo balancing social, economic and environment outcomes, including the establishment of a headland park and other public domains; amongst other objectives. Supporting the Authority is a Design Excellence Review Panel that comprised Paul Keating (Chairman from 2005 until 2011), Chris Johnson, Bridget Smyth, Oi Choong, James Weirick, Angelo Candalepas, andLeo Schofield (resigned 2011). The role of the Panel was to guide the government authority on a range of design issues, such as architecture, landscape and culture. Commissioned initially in 2005, the Panel was instrumental in the selection of Hill Thalis Architecture as the winning the international design competition in 2006. The winning team was commissioned to assist the Government in developing the design during the latter part of 2006. There was early debate regarding the design and size of waterfront developments. The City of Sydney and some architectural bodies expressed concern that the proposed designs would be out of scale with the surrounding environment, as well as causing large unwanted shadows over the immediate area, parts of Darling Harbour and possibly nearby Pyrmont.

A concept plan was released by the Government in 2007 and a year later announced that it had shortlisted consortia led by Brookfield Multiplex, Lend Lease Group and Mirvac. In 2009, to assist with the economic viability of the project, the Government announced that the amount of commercial office space would increase by one third, allowing an additional 120,000 square metres (1,291,669 sq ft) from the initial concept plan for the A$6 billion development.^[18] In late 2009, after a further shortlisting process, the Government announced that it would not to proceed with Hill Thalis' winning design, choosing instead a consortium that included lead architect Lord Rogers and developer, Lend Lease, who controversially proposed a 230 metres (755 ft) tall hotel to be constructed 150 metres (492 ft) into Darling Harbour, as well as parkland and commercial offices. When plans were put on public display during 2010 it was claimed that the development exceeded planning height and footprint limits.^[27] Following public outcry at changes to the original Concept Plan, community-based organisations such as the Friends of Barangaroo, Australians for Sustainable Development and the Barangaroo Action Group formed, colloquially referring to the precinct as "the Greedy Mile". In March 2010, the Government and Lend Lease entered into provisional contracts for the development of the site, subject to Ministerial approval which was given in May 2010. Concerned about the lack of transparency, in September 2010 Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney and Member for Sydney, resigned as a director of the Barangaroo Delivery Authority.^[28]

On attaining Government in March 2011, Premier Barry O'Farrell announced an independent review into the selection processes. The panel reported in August 2011 and stated that two members of a design panel had a conflict of duty.^[29] O'Farrell also overturned an amendment to planning legislation made in the last days of the Keneally government that placed the Barangaroo site as exempt from remediation of contaminated sites requirements. The Government has also asked Lend Lease to move the hotel off the harbour as a gesture of goodwill, even though it has planning approval from the Keneally government. Discussions with the developer are ongoing.^[30]

ENDS

Nothing moves at Barangaroo without the CFMEU.   You'll recall that much of the TURC was devoted to George Alex, his criminal associates and the various mechanisms the CFMEU had for extracting cash from the Barangaroo development.

Here are the first few Google entries for a search on "CFMEU Barangaroo".

CFMEU Lend Lease strike - Barangaroo picket, Sydney - YouTube

▶ 1:48

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoK_-irGGyk

 

Jul 26, 2012 - Uploaded by swoski1917

CFMEU state secretary Brian Parker speaking at the Barangaroo picket this morning, said this Lend Lease ...

 

Barry O'Farrell demands report into CFMEU Barangaroo practices ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/...cfmeu-barangaroo.../story-fn59noo3-1226812012605

 

Jan 28, 2014 - THE NSW Premier has demanded a report into work practices at Barangaroo, Australia's biggest building site, saying he was very concerned ...

 

ENDS

 

Back in April 2012 Gillard was PM.   Her former beau and continuing confidant Michael O'Connor was (and remains) the national chief of the CFMEU.

 

This email from Lend Lease to the Clinton Foundation sets a grovelling tone as Lend Lease begs the Clintons for permission to associate Barangaroo with the Clinton brand.

 

Here's the Lend Lease written proposal. 
Climate Positive Tenant Partnership FINAL.docx
25.37 KiB
application/vnd.openxmlformats-

 

You'll note that the proposal goes from Lend Lease to the Clinton Foundation's foreign affairs guy Amitabh Desai.

 

Within 3 hours of receiving the email and proposal, Desai forwards the whole thing to John Podesta.

 

Hillary Clinton was at the time US Secretary of State and Podesta appears as a regular go between for her and the Foundation (he's currently the chairman of the Hillary for President campaign and the central figure around which the Democrat Party orbits).

 

There are a few considerations here.

 

Firstly the Clinton Climate Caper in its various incarnations was pretty much vapour ware around that time.

 

Rudd gifted it $10M in 2008 via the Carbon Capture and Storage Institute.  Penny Wong had struck a few deals with the Foundation - but things moved into overdrive in 2012 as Gillard positioned herself for the Clinton Global Initiative in New York that year (recall Hillary's last months as US Secretary of State, chaperoning Gillard and setting up her post prime ministerial appointments in the education caper, tipping millions towards the Clintons).

 

The reality of what the Clintons had to offer in any practical sense was vastly different from the grand titles and grander claims about its work to "fix" climate change.

 

Here's the value for money Clinton's customers in our part of the world received - the personal attention of the AIDS specialist, PNG Incorporated Associations fraudster, Caterpillar Tractor Dealer and climate change remediation expert Ruby Shang.

 

 

http://www.gaiadiscovery.com/latest-people/ruby-shang-the-woman-driving-bill-clintons-climate-initiativ.html

 

REQUEST FOR RESEARCH

 

There is very fertile ground here for research on the linkages that led to the approach to the Clinton Foundation asking for its involvement in Barangaroo.

 

May I ask that our expert team, well versed in pursuing the names of the usual suspects involved in opportunities for chicanery like this one go at it!!!!!!