Deputy premier denies being influenced by Perth property developer

WA's Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti says allegations made over her conduct as a minister arising from a secret recording at the heart of a defamation trial are "extreme".Ms Saffioti was giving evidence in a defamation case brought by property developer Greg Poland against WAtoday, formerly a Fairfax publication, now Nine, and two of its journalists over two articles published in 2019. The reporting relied on a 2019 secret recording of a meeting played during the defamation trial, in which Mr Poland can be heard boasting about his access to Ms Saffioti.The WAtoday articles relied on a secret recording of a meeting between Greg Poland and Aaron Grainger. (ABC News: Gian De Poloni)He tells another businessman Aaron Grainger "Rita will be your friend" if Mr Grainger fixes a problem for government and disposes of allegedly "toxic" soil dug from the tunnel of the Forrestfield Airport Link.'Very serious allegations': Saffioti Giving evidence in court today, Ms Saffioti said questions put to her in 2019 over those comments by WAtoday were "extreme" and amounted to "very serious allegations" about her conduct as a minister."The allegations that were made were probably the most extreme that I've ever seen," Ms Saffioti told the court.Mr Poland was deputy director of the Peel Development Commission at the time.Rita Saffioti was Transport Minister during the delivery of the Perth's airport rail tunnel. (ABC News: Cason Ho)Ms Saffioti said in 2018 she dealt with him mainly over long-running leasing issues at Hillary's Boat Harbour, where he was a major leaseholder."There was no other relationship in any shape or form," she said.Ms Saffioti said Mr Poland had "zero" influence on her.Greg Poland (right) and his lawyer Martin Bennett (left) outside the court. (ABC News: Lauren Smith)She denied Mr Poland's claims he regularly met with her.Ms Saffioti said the Commission had raised the prospect the Peel region might be a good area to dispose of the soil from the airport tunnel.But she said her agencies as transport and planning ministers investigated and decided it would not be suitable."My agency said no ... it was a dead issue," she said. Ms Saffioti told the court she did not regularly meet with Mr Poland. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)She denied Mr Poland's claim in the secret recording that Ms Saffioti would "steam roll" a land swap deal to dispose of the allegedly "toxic" soil."That's false," she said.Hastie denies wrongdoing Mr Poland claims the WAtoday articles made an imputation that he is corrupt and engages in secret deals between the state government and private businesspeople without due process — claims he vehemently denies.He is also suing federal Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, two of his staffers and former state Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup, claiming they distributed audio of the secret recording.Andrew Hastie took the stand on Thursday to defend his role in sharing the recording. (ABC News: Courtney Withers)The 46 minute recording was of a meeting between Mr Poland and sand miner Aaron Grainger at the Subiaco Hotel in 2019.Mr Poland is heard suggesting to Mr Grainger he should propose a land swap deal with the government to take the soil.Mr Poland tells Mr Grainger he had been asked by Ms Saffioti to find a solution to the soil issue and was "talking about getting rid of a political headache for the government"."If we can pull this off, anything you want, Rita will be your friend," Mr Poland is heard saying to Mr Grainger on the recording.In court yesterday, Mr Hastie admitted sending a copy of the recording to then-WAtoday journalist Nathan Hondros after being given a copy by Mr Grainger during a meeting at his office.But he denied he did anything wrong by doing so.Mr Hastie said he did not accept that he told Mr Grainger he would not share the recording.He said it was possible he shared it with Mr Kirkup, who at the time was the local Liberal MP, and later went on to become the leader of the WA Liberal Party."I don't recall sending it to Mr Kirkup, but I don't deny that I probably did," Mr Hastie told the court.