Westfield Retail Trust chairman Dick Warburton has declared a "call to arms" for shareholders to support a proposed $70 billion restructure, The Australian Financial Review reports.
According to the newspaper, Mr Warburton said debate over the plan had been one-sided as many smaller shareholders supporting the proposal were unwilling to put their "head above the parapet", while he had been hamstrung by legal restrictions.
“We were completely straightjacketed where as UniSuper and any others had a completely free go to say what they think,” Mr Warburton said, according to the AFR.
“And of course they don’t have to face the judicial rights I have to face. I have to look after all of the shareholders where they just have to look after their own shareholders."
A vote on the restructure will be held on June 20, after it was earlier delayed as it looked unlikely to pass.
Westfield Group wants to merge its Australian and New Zealand business with those of the separately listed Westfield Retail Trust to create a new entity, Scentre Group.
Westfield Group's international business would become Westfield Corporation.