PLACES VICTORIA CHAIRMAN PETER CLARKE KEEPS GOVERNMENT SALARY

Peter Rolfe Herald Sun September 26, 2012

Ted Baillieu is a close friend of  Peter Clarke. Source: Herald Sun

A VICTORIAN Liberal heavyweight and close friend of Premier Ted Baillieu is still being fully paid from the public purse a month after stepping aside as head of the State Government's planning body.

Places Victoria chairman Peter Clarke, a former state Liberal Party vice-president, is believed to be paid about $80,000 a year in the role.
He will continue to be paid pending the resolution of an investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
The Herald Sun believes the government sought advice on whether Mr Clarke should be paid or stripped of his ongoing earnings.
It was told the presumption of innocence principle applied and it was standard procedure to pay government employees while investigations were on-going.
Mr Clarke was hand-picked as Places Victoria chair by the Government.
He voluntarily stood aside from the role after 14 months when ASIC alleged in court that he and other former directors of Australian Property Custodian Holdings had improperly used their positions to approve a $33 million payment to a managing director.

He has denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Clarke was previously chair of Melbourne City Council's planning committee.
Like Mr Baillieu, he is a qualified architect but was also once the state executive director of the Property Council of Australia.
rolfep@heraldsun.com.au