Bayswater mayor Filomena Piffaretti misses council meeting to dine at Chinese restaurant, documents reveal

Recent council documents reveal that city of Bayswater mayor Filomena Piffaretti missed a council meeting to dine with potential investors at a Chinese restaurant in Ascot. Ms Piffaretti didn’t attend the March 19 meeting, with the city’s response last week to questions from the public taken on notice at its August meeting revealing she visited Aquarium Seafood Chinese Restaurant in Ascot with “potential investors” and Indonesia’s ‘coal king’ Low Tuck Kwong on the same night. The dinner was part of a $3300 disclosed gift, including “three meals, wine and a seat on a chartered flight” to the South West. Aquarium Seafood Chinese Restaurant’s website states it is known for “employing innovative, cutting-edge cooking techniques, which are used in the meticulous execution of each dish”. Ms Piffaretti told the council in July she was invited to Busselton on March 19 to “meet with potential investors to talk about investment opportunities across the city”. Mis Piffaretti — who was flown to and from Busselton — disclosed the flights from PT Bayan Resources on the council’s gift register, saying the coal miner was an “investor in the city”. She said she was in a group of about 10 people who were “other invitees from the host” but did not know all their names. PT Bayan Resources was founded by Mr Low, who is also the majority shareholder. Mr Low also has a 20 per cent share in TenGolf Group, which operates the Maylands Peninsula and Embelton golf courses in the City of Bayswater. The answers to the questions from the public in council documents published last week reveal the Busselton invite was “extended by TenGolf managing director Sam Lee on behalf of Mr Low” and that Ms Piffaretti travelled with Mr Lee and his son Michael Lee. Answers also included that the city has an “ongoing relationship with TenGolf after entering a lease and management contract for Maylands Golf Course in 2022”, that the council had not received any “formal proposal” and that the travelling group had visited the Chinese restaurant in Ascot. Resident Matthew English, of Bayswater, asked for a breakdown of the $3300 gift. “The mayor declared the hospitality invitation as required under the Local Government Act 1995,” the written city response said. “Details were outlined on the city’s gift register following the trip in March. Costs included three meals, wine and a seat on a chartered flight.” Mr English asked “which venues and who did she visit in Perth with the group”. “The group visited the Aquarium Seafood Chinese Restaurant,” the city answered. In a statement to PerthNow following the published answers, Ms Piffaretti said she attended the dinner with the “same 10 people” with whom she visited Busselton. In answer to what was discussed at the dinner, Ms Piffaretti responded with “nothing new to add”.