It is important to read this SMH article by Anthony Segaert, August 17, 2024:

Is a husband a ‘close associate’? Council hopeful caught out on property developer declaration

A candidate standing for Ku-ring-gai Council declared no connection to any property developer – despite her husband repeatedly declaring himself to be one in local Facebook groups.

Wendy McKasah, a candidate running under a Liberal-led ticket in the council’s Wahroonga ward, ticked the box on the public candidate information sheet that said: “I am not a property developer.” The form includes a note that says the definition “includes a person who is a close associate of a property developer”.

But her husband, Wadif McKasah, owns a construction company in the area and has posted in multiple Facebook community groups that “I’m a property developer”.

“I’m a property developer and welcome sensible development,” he said in one group in a long post about transport-oriented development.

“However there seems to be a ridiculous no thought process to many decisions made [at council].”

In a comment on a post in another group, he said: “Please do not call me an activist. I am not a member of any group. I’m a property developer and builder with a reasonable understanding of development.”

Wadif McKasah most recently built and sold a North Turramurra property in 2023, he told the Herald when contacted by phone on Friday morning. He has also, in a business partnership, built and sold several townhouses in Parramatta. But he said his business was focusing primarily on constructing homes.

“Am I a property developer? It’s a difficult one, because I’ve tried to find out and I can’t know,” he said.

A “property developer” is defined in the Electoral Funding Act 2018 as someone “mainly concerned with the residential or commercial development of land, with the ultimate purpose of the sale or lease of the land for profit”, and who has one planning application being currently considered, or at least three over the past seven years.”…..

“Wadif McKasah did not respond to questions about whether this applied to him. He did not respond to requests to comment.”…….

“Cedric Spencer, the Liberal candidate leading McKasah’s ticket, is a current councillor at Ku-ring-gai. When the Herald rang him for comment on Friday, the councillor said: “I can assure you there is nothing to see.”

He accused this masthead of attempting to trick him, and asking who had tipped off the story, suggesting the questions came from A Current Affair.

“Are you working for my opponents? You are going to be in trouble, my friend. Don’t make up stories,” he said.

“If a person has completed a form, the person has completed a form. What’s your problem? This person is number two and unlikely to get up anyway.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to get at, mate… My God, I’ve been around a long time. I ran in a federal election too.””

Authorised by K. Cowley, 1 Kenilworth Road, Lindfield, 2070 info@foke.org.au