A September report from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) slammed the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) for purchasing the land from a billionaire family at 10 times its market value in what it calls a “significant and unusual transaction” related to the Western Sydney Airport.
The land known as the Leppington Triangle was purchased by the DOI for $29.8 million in 2018, but the ANAO found that the department had written off 90% of the purchase price within 12 months.
Today, The Guardian reports that Urban Infrastructure Minister Alan Tudge has defended the federal government’s failure to comply with the Senate’s ruling that it must release documentary material relating to a controversial land deal in western Sydney. Tudge claims that releasing the documents in question would not be in the public interest and could affect the Australian Federal Police’s investigation into the matter:
