When former NSW treasurer MP Matt Kean paid tribute to former federal minister Philip Ruddock, he shared a story of a 16-year-old boy who stumbled across some maps in his father’s basement. This discovery led to the boy uncovering a legal obstacle that thwarted the then-state Government’s plans to turn the Hornsby suburb of Westleigh into an industrial area. “Westleigh is the beautiful suburban family suburb it is today because of Philip Ruddock,” Kean recalled.

But last month, 64 years later, Ruddock watched helplessly as his party ousted him as Hornsby Shire Mayor, effectively ending the political career of Australia’s longest-serving politician. 

He claims his removal was orchestrated by property developers, backed by senior party members because his stance to limit sub-division and development was not aligned with their interests. Ruddock maintains his support for “appropriate development,” which respects the natural and built environment, was deemed “unacceptable” to those driven by property developer interests.

"I'm not going to speculate other than to say that we had a particular candidate whose family has substantial property interests and believed that change might help further their interests, and I don't intend to take it any further than that, that they were actively involved in supporting a candidate who also owns acreage." "I did have a particular federal Member of Parliament suggest that it was time for me to hang up the queue. You know, he said, 'You need to get renewal'. And he was actively putting that view."

Ruddock’s concerns echo a broader unease about developers' influence on council decisions. The influence of property developers in local government is nothing new. However, when a figure described as one of the “most consequential public figures of our time” declares that these vested interests have ended his political career, it raises serious concerns.

The son of Max and Emmie Ruddock, Philip’s father grew up in Windsor, attended Windsor Primary School, where he became Dux, and later won a place at Fort Street Boys High School. His grandfather was a forestry officer working out of the Windsor courthouse.

Now in his eighties, Ruddock entered the Federal Parliament in 1973, a formative time for Australia. Gough Whitlam was Prime Minister, the Queen officially opened the Sydney Opera House, Papua New Guinea was granted self-government before independence, the federal voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, and ACDC played its first major gig in Sydney. It was also the year that the Whitlam government passed laws to remove the “White Australia Policy,” ensuring that race would be disregarded as a component of immigration to Australia.

For Ruddock, it marked the beginning of a distinguished public service career. He would serve as a federal Liberal MP for 43 years, including as a Minister in the Howard and Abbott governments, notably as Minister for Immigration and Attorney General. He famously crossed the floor in defiance of his party's stance on slowing Asian immigration, presided over reforms to the Family Law Act, and defamation law reform, and helped shape the nation’s immigration policy. After retiring, he was appointed Australia’s first international representative for human rights and was elected Mayor of Hornsby Shire in 2017.

Some have suggested that such a career should not conclude with such an unfitting end to a lifetime of service due to the influence of suburban property developers, but instead should have been through a natural or honourable departure.

Liberal insiders told the HP that Ruddock’s experience is not an isolated political skirmish but a symptom of deeper issues between property developers and New South Wales' local governments. They say Ruddock’s ousting has raised serious questions about the influence of developers within the Liberal Party. Ruddock himself suggested that branch members with large acreages, who stood to benefit from zoning changes, were involved in the push against him, although he refrained from making direct accusations.

Despite the belief that the introduction of bodies like planning panels has created a buffer between developers and councillors, Ruddock argues that councillors and council administrators remain very influential in planning decisions.

“Councillors and council administrators continue to play a significant role in shaping the potential profits of local developers,” Ruddock said.“...The council plays a role, usually through its staff, if these matters are being dealt with by planning panels, in identifying factors that might be relevant to design excellence,” he said.

These decisions range from major land rezoning to smaller, seemingly innocuous tweaks of rules and regulations, such as the ceiling height of an apartment or, in the case of the Hawkesbury, whether views and vistas of existing properties should be considered when assessing new developments.

“One of the things we did when we first became a council in Hornsby, that was concerned about development that had occurred at an earlier point in time in Asquith and Mount Colah, was to ensure that developers weren't able to change the design of five-storey buildings by reducing the height within the individual apartments so that they could then put an extra temporary facility on the roof. I call them the chicken sheds,” Ruddock said.

In Hornsby, his council aimed to balance state housing targets with the needs and aspirations of the local community. He outlined plans for accommodating 5,000 additional residents around Hornsby’s commercial centre, focusing on preserving local amenity through proper planning and design excellence.

However, Ruddock expressed concern over the broader state government's one-size-fits-all approach to development, which may not be appropriate in areas prone to natural disasters like bushfires and flooding. He believes local councils are better positioned to understand and address these risks.

The former minister also criticised developers' tendencies to prioritise profit over community well-being, citing past developments in Hornsby that led to a deterioration in local amenities. He urged the public to hold elected officials accountable for ensuring that development aligns with community expectations.

“I went to public meetings with people in Asquith and Mount Colah about the developments that had occurred, and people were in tears over what had happened to the amenity of the local community. I believe that people in public life need to be cognisant of these factors and try to avoid accommodating developers' cheap and nasty aspirations if it's going to give them a bigger profit by ensuring that there is appropriate design excellence and amenity,” he said.

With local elections on the horizon, Ruddock stressed the importance of community engagement, encouraging residents to meet candidates, ask tough questions, and advocate for developments that serve the broader public good.