By Luke Voogt
Rob Leonard felt ambushed when he entered a conference room alone to fight a proposed intensive goat farm next to his Lara property.
Arrayed against him was a team of lawyers and an executive, representing Geelong’s council and Nuchev, the company behind the now-controversial 4500-goat proposal.
“Oh, I was ambushed all right,” he said.
“There were barristers and solicitors left, right and centre.”
Mr Leonard was the sole objector to the proposal at a compulsory conference at Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in February last year.
He spoke to the Indy after Geelong-based MP Simon Ramsay in March called in parliament for an investigation into “alleged threatening and intimidating actions by Nuchev legal counsel”.
“This objector, Mr Rob Leonard, felt threatened by (the) alleged actions,” the Member for Western Victoria told parliament.
Nuchev’s legal counsel allegedly implied that Geelong’s council could take “action against (Mr Leonard) for not having permits for some of the structures on his land,” Mr Ramsay said.
Mr Leonard admitted to the Indy he was unprepared and regretted not bringing a lawyer, which VCAT’s website recommends against for “most“ compulsory conferences.
“I didn’t realise you could actually have representation,” he said.
“I can’t even ask the council because council aren’t there for me. My own council were against me!”
Mr Leonard said the opposing side dissected his concerns, making minor amendments to the proposal.
“You can’t ask them, can you,” he said.
“They’re going to do everything they can to tell me, ’You’re doing the wrong thing’.”
Mr Leonard said he felt overwhelmed and alone when advised in the conference that he would lose an appeal “on just emotion”, so he signed his withdrawal.
“I thought, ’Well, that’s it. I can’t win, I’m wasting my f*****g time’.
“They’re saying they’ve answered all my questions. What do I f*****g do now?”
Geelong’s state-appointed council administrators’ granted the farm’s planning permit in 2016 despite 56 objections.
Several objectors planned to join Mr Leonard but withdrew after their leader suffered health problems, according to Neil Longmore, a lawyer for the No Nuchev Campaign.
“Rob was a person who didn’t have any understanding of planning at all,” Mr Longmore said.
“He was representing the interests of the whole Lara community and he obviously didn’t feel empowered to do that.
“He had no one to support him and he would have felt very alone and at a disadvantage given the calibre of the people on the other side.”
Since the conference the No Nuchev Campaign has collected more than 4500 signatures against the farm and protesters have filled City Hall at several council meetings, successfully convincing council to appeal against the permit.
Council officers recommend against appealing to VCAT, citing Mr Leonard’s compulsory conference.
But council voted in March for councillor and Lara resident Kylie Grzybek’s alternative motion to go ahead with an appeal.
Nuchev’s legal representative at the compulsory conference, Michelle Blackburn, declined to comment on Mr Leonard’s claims despite multiple requests through both VCAT and her previous law firm, Corrs Chambers.
Ms Blackburn, now a VCAT member, was aware of the Indy’s attempts to contact her, a tribunal spokesperson said.
“It would be inappropriate for member Blackburn to comment given her current role as a VCAT member,” the spokesperson said.
Council’s legal representative at the hearing, Greg Tobin, also declined to comment, directing the Indy to contact City Hall.
Council planning director Joanne Van Slageren said City Hall was “not at liberty to discuss the matter further.“
