Tio Faulkner
Tio Sean Faulkner[1] is an Australian-New Zealand former politician. He served as president of the Canberra Liberals from 2010 to 2013. On 17 February 2022, he was sentenced to three months and two weeks in prison under the Resource Management Act 1991 for his attempt to reclaim part of Tauranga Harbour.[2]
Political career[edit]
Faulkner was the Liberal Party candidate for the Division of Kingsford Smith in the 1998 Australian federal election. He lost to Labor's incumbent Laurie Brereton.[3] The next year he contested the electoral district of Maroubra in the 1999 New South Wales state election. He was again defeated by the Labor incumbent, Bob Carr.[4]
Faulkner went on to become a political advisor to Vicki Dunne and director of electorate affairs for Zed Seselja.[5] In 2010, he was elected president of the Canberra Liberals, the Australian Capital Territory division of the Australian Liberal Party. Following a controversy, he resigned his position in Seselja's office in December 2012[6] and stepped down as president in November 2013.[7]
In 2015, Faulkner founded the Marriage Alliance, a lobby group campaigning against the legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia.[5]
Legal issues[edit]
In July 2019, a Bay of Plenty Regional Council officer conducting an aerial survey noticed that Faulkner had been dumping concrete and rebar into the Tauranga Harbour in an attempt to expand his property. The makeshift platform was roughly 1000 square metres and it is believed that Faulker had been working on it since late 2017. Compliance officers visited the property a few days later and noticed that he had also been allowing effluent from his pig farm to run into the harbour. Faulkner claimed he had the right to do so as tangata whenua. In September he was issued an abatement notice, however a search a month later revealed that he had continued. Following several more searches and orders to stop, the council filed eight charges against him in late 2020.[5]
In a trial held in July 2021, Faulkner represented himself and pleaded not guilty, claiming that the construction was done to protect against climate change-related coastal erosion. However, two witnesses claimed to have been told by Faulker that he wanted to build a park similar to Tauranga's Memorial Park. He was found guilty of six of the charges in November. His sentencing was delayed several times as Faulkner refused to meet with the appropriate officials, leading the judge to remand him in custody in January 2022.[5] Faulker filed a habeas corpus claim with the High Court of New Zealand, but this was thrown out by Justice Ian Gault.[8] After it was determined that Faulker did not have the means to pay a $200,000 fine, he was instead sentenced to three months and two weeks in prison and ordered to pay $5,000 in legal fees.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ "NSW Elections - Candidate Index - 19". Parliament of New South Wales.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Griffiths, Ethan (17 February 2022). "Former Aussie politician who built his own coastal park by reclaiming Tauranga harbour imprisoned, despite claiming legal immunity". NZ Herald.
- ↑ "House of Representatives - 1998 Election: New South Wales". Australian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 18 February 2001.
- ↑ "NSW Elections - 1999 Results". Parliament of New South Wales.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Griffiths, Ethan (29 January 2022). "From Parliament to prison: How an Aussie politico ended up in a Kiwi remand cell". NZ Herald.
- ↑ Inman, Michael (27 December 2012). "Liberal power players resign". The Age.
- ↑ Cox, Lisa (7 November 2013). "Faulkner steps away from Libs presidency". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ Griffiths, Ethan (24 January 2022). "Man who illegally reclaimed land in Tauranga Harbour has claim he is being 'unlawfully detained' dismissed". NZ Herald.
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