Bill Papas’ cousin, Eric Constantinidis, has been added as a respondent to Westpac’s legal action against the Forum Group founder, The Australian Financial Review(AFR)reports.
This comes as the bank seeks to recover $720,000 transferred via a share trading account that allegedly breached freezing orders.
Mr Papas’ assets were put under a freezing order by the court on June 28, which was extended on July 2, 9 and 16.
According to the AFR, documents showed that two payments of $150,000 and $570,000 were made into a National Australia Bank account in the name E. Constantinidis on July 4 and July 7.
In September, MinterEllison, on behalf of Westpac, sent a letter to Mr Constantinidis ordering him to pay back the $720,000.
But correspondence with Mr Constantinidis’ lawyer, Bill Parsons of WH Parsons & Associates, said the money was not Westpac’s and was repayment of legal fees paid on Mr Papas’ behalf, as well as money owed to Mr Constantinidis and his companies.
“Our client was not aware of a freezing order when he received and made the payments referred to above, nor was he aware of the allegations of a trust for the benefit of Westpac Banking Corporation that you allege,” Mr Parsons wrote in a letter, which was submitted to the Federal Court.
Mr Constantinitis has not been accused of being involved in any fraudulent activities, the AFR reports.
South Australia’s Deputy Premier, Vickie Chapman, is taking legal action against Labor frontbencher, Tom Koutsantonis, in a bid to halt a parliamentary investigation into whether she has a conflict of interest, The Advertiser reports.
The manoeuvre is Ms Chapman’s latest bid to scuttle a select committee into her scrapping of plans to build a deepwater port on Kangaroo Island.
Ms Chapman claims Mr Koutsantonis repeatedly accused her on Twitter of lying to parliament in what she has labelled as ‘disgraceful behaviour.’
Tom Koutsantonis MP.
Ms Chapman issued a lawyer’s letter to Mr Koutsantonis on Friday, demanding a public apology and retraction of any suggestion that she lied to parliament, along with the $100,000 payment within 14 days – or she will commence defamation action.
In a defiant statement to The Advertiser, Ms Chapman declared: “Bring it on. It is well past time for the matter to be removed from this kangaroo court to a competent court.”
Mr Koutsantonis indicated he would seek to defend his statements.
“This appears to be a last-ditch, desperate attempt by Vickie Chapman to distract from the inquiry and save what’s left of her political career,” an Opposition spokesman said.
Mr Koutsantonis added: “I’m happy to defend myself and I look forward to the outcome of the select committee’s final report.”
Deputy Opposition Leader, Richard Marles, was present at Lakeside Stadium on Friday where South Melbourne FC frustrated Melbourne City’s attack for most of the first 60 minutes of their FFA Cup match.
South Melbourne came close to equalising the match in the second half with a stunning free kick by Schroen that was saved by the fingertips of the Melbourne City goalkeeper.
Before a strong home crowd that brought back the memories of the National Soccer League days, South Melbourne was gallant in its defeat, ultimately losing 3 nil.
In the pre-match event, Mr Marles spoke about the importance of clubs like South Melbourne FC to the cultural and sporting fabric of Australia. He said that these clubs played a vital role in shaping our country and that South Melbourne stands as one of the iconic football clubs in Australia. He also said that its successful history speaks for itself and he welcomed its return to top flight football in the near future.
The club’s no.1 ticketholder, Victorian Health Minister, Martin Foley, was also in attendance. Minister Foley highlighted the need for South Melbourne to be included into its rightful place in the football community in Australia and pressed for the urgent implementation of a Second Division.
Minister Foley said that South Melbourne deserved to be playing football in a national competition as quickly as possible and implored the FFA to quickly implement the Second Division. Mr Foley emphasised how Lakeside Stadium was an integral part of South Melbourne FC.
Although South did not win the match, Club President, Nick Maikousis, was satisfied that South relived its glory days with the presence of a capacity COVID crowd and a spirited performance by the team which had limited time for its preparation.
This support of the team’s performance was also given by Andrew Mesorouni (Football Director) who praised the efforts of the team and its coach Esteban Quintas.
Mr Mesorouni said: “the team’s pregame tactics to deny Melbourne City FC scoring opportunities worked for well for over an hour. Although our opponent was a stronger team, our game tactics was to be defensive with counter attacking football. We are proud of our players and the result was respectable given we had not played competitive football for 3 months.”
South’s Chairman, Bill Papastergiadis, thanked Mr Marles and Mr Foley for making themselves available for the match and for showing their strong support for the Club.
Mr Papastergiadis said: “Martin Foley has demonstrated over a long period of time through his actions that he is worthy number 1 ticketholder. He has intervened successfully in all of the major hurdles the club has faced. His work in maintaining the integrity of Lakeside for South is immeasurable.”
“Martin has been a strong advocate for the Club’s re entry to top tier football and he has been at the forefront of our discussions with the FA on such matters. We cannot thank him enough.”
Mr Papastergiadis was equally impressed with Richard Marles’ understanding of South’s history in the pre-game speech Marles made.
Mr Papastergiadis said: “Richard Marles not only had an impressive understanding of South’s tremendous achievements, but equally he spoke with clarity and passion about the relevance of the Hellenic history of the club with its success.”
“Richard understood and appreciated the importance of migration and multiculturalism in the development of football in Australia. He is a strong advocate on these issues,” Mr Papastergiadis concluded.
Orios Zavros, his wife and two children were travelling across Australia on the trip of a lifetime when they found themselves stranded in South Australia’s Simpson Desert a few days ago.
Their campervan became bogged due to heavy rain.
According to news.com.au, the shocking turn of events came just days after the family shared a post to their Instagram account declaring they had made it to Birdsville in Queensland.
“Bring on the Simpson Desert,” they wrote, alongside a picture of their van.
News reports say the travellers set off their emergency beacon about 10am on Friday after becoming stuck in their modified Mitsubishi Canter about 150 kilometres northwest of Oodnadatta in South Australia’s Simpson Desert.
The beacon led to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) sending a plane from Melbourne’s Essendon Airport to deliver essential supplies to the Perth family. Food, water, DVDs, sweets and nappies were included in the delivery.
“They are safe and well and in contact with the police,” SA Police said in a statement.
Orios Zavros, his wife and two children. Photo: Instagram.
The AMSA and SA Police are coordinating a rescue effort which will begin when weather conditions improve in the coming days.
Several family and friends have taken to social media to wish the family well and share their confidence the family will make it out safely.
Orios’ mum, Theo, and dad, Lagis Zavros, spoke with the family on ‘a very crackly satellite phone’ on Sunday. They were hugely relieved to find the family is coping well with their predicament.
At 90 years of age, Stelios Prassas was the oldest athlete to finish the 38th Athens Marathon on Sunday.
Prassas’ family were waiting for him at the Panathenaic Stadium when he arrived at the finish line and walked the last few steps with his grandchildren.
90-year-old, Stelios Prassas.
The winner of the Marathon was Costas Gelaouzos, who became the fastest Greek over the classic course on Sunday with a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes and 49 seconds.
The previous best time by a Greek athlete over this difficult, hilly course was 2:17:56 by Nikos Polias, who finished 24th at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Polias was among those congratulating Gelaouzos at the Panathenaic Stadium.
Greek runner, Costas Gelaouzos, crosses the finish line to win the 38th Athens Marathon. Photo: AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis.
Panagiotis Bourikas was the runner-up with 2:22:33 and yet another Greek, Haralambos Pitsolis was third with 2:24:05.
The race resumed this year after a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year’s marathon was cancelled due to COVID-19. Photo: The Greek Herald / Panagiotis Dalatariof.
There were 9,558 runners registered to line up at the start in the village of Marathon, less than half the record 20,041 who ran in the previous race in 2019. And there was a notable absence of elite international athletes.
Greece’s Gloria-Tziovana Privilegio won the women’s race in 2:41:30, nearly seven minutes ahead of her closest rival. She was 23rd overall.
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has said he plans to raise the issue of the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum in a meeting with British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, next week.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mitsotakis said that the 2,500-year-old sculptures had been “stolen” from Athens “and we need to discuss this issue in earnest.”
“It would be an amazing message from what Boris Johnson calls ‘Global Britain’ if there is some movement on this issue and they look at it from a completely different perspective,” Mitsotakis said in the interview.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis gave an interview to The Daily Telegraph.
“I am sure that if there was a willingness on the part of the government [of the UK] to move, we could find an arrangement with the British Museum in terms of us sending abroad cultural treasures on loan, which have never left the country.”
This interview came just days after the Greek Prime Minister called on the UK to return the Parthenon Marbles to Athens at an event in Paris celebrating UNESCO’s 75th anniversary.
“The UK should move to a bona fide dialogue with Greece. And I urge them to do so. After all, this year marks the 200thanniversary of Greece’s war of independence. There could be no better time than now, in which to reunite the missing section of the Parthenon sculptures – in their birthplace – in Greece,” he told the assembled heads of state.
Φέτος συμπληρώνονται 200 χρόνια από την έναρξη του Αγώνα για την Ανεξαρτησία της Ελλάδας. Δεν θα μπορούσε να υπάρξει καλύτερη στιγμή για την επανένωση των Γλυπτών του Παρθενώνα και την επιστροφή του τμήματος που λείπει, στον τόπο που γεννήθηκαν, την Ελλάδα. pic.twitter.com/5u96J6NJ0K
However, the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, dismissed the appeal for their return to Greece earlier this year.
“I understand the strong feelings of the Greek people – and indeed Prime Minister Mitsotakis – on the issue,” Johnson told Greek newspaper, Ta Nea, earlier this year.
“But the UK government has a firm, longstanding position on the sculptures, which is that they were legally acquired by Lord Elgin under the appropriate laws of the time and have been legally owned by the British Museum’s trustees since their acquisition.”
Tuesday’s talks will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two men in which the cultural row is formally raised.
It was an all-South Australian affair last weekend at the 2021 Peter Smith PWII Open Championships Women’s Singles event with Adelaide’s Andriana Petrakis taking out the title from Joanna Klaosen.
‘I want to become an Australian champion,’ Andriana,19, told The Greek Herald.
An athlete on the autism spectrum Andriana Petrakis has been playing tennis for ten years competing in state tournaments and climbing the ranks to become part of the Australian national team.
“I love hitting the ball and learning techniques. Forehand It’s my favourite shot,” she said.
Andriana Petrakis with her siblings
But apart from a killer forehand Andriana has a bright wide smile and an attitude towards life that many would envy.
Last year she won the Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability award and now she wants to use her achievements to inspire other people with disabilities.
“Tennis has helped me improve my skills, strengths, weaknesses it has made me a better person and an athlete. It also helped my autism,” she said.
“To everyone who has special abilities I say keep strong, stay positive, be happy, learn every day and work hard to succeed.”
Andriana’s father and her biggest fan, Peter Petrakis, shared his pride and said that his daughter started playing tennis as an alternative to occupational therapy.
“We couldn’t afford it and we thought tennis would be a cheaper alternative to help her improve her hand-eye coordination and social skills. We didn’t expect her to get to this point,” Peter said and shared his message with parents of neurodiverse children.
“Andriana was diagnosed with autism when she was nearly two years old and my wife and I were not sure how to help her. She spoke her first word when she was five and we were excited but the doctors had prepared us that Andriana might not talk or make progress. But she did.
“Don’t give up on your children. If they have a disability, keep going and do your best to help them.”
Apart from one of SA’s finest athletes Andriana Petrakis helps others in the community through her career as a tennis/pickleball coach with South Australia’s first disability sports organisation registered with the NDIS.
“I want to continue and develop myself as a leader and use my public speaking skills to motivate. I also want to become number one tennis player in Australia and maybe the world’s two.”
We have no doubt she will get there.
Keep smiling and good luck Andriana! You’ve got this.
Remote and wild, Antarctica is a spectacular place that most people on Earth won’t ever get to. But this is not the case for Dani Yannopoulos who was appointed this season’s Station Leader for the Davis research station.
For a year, she will be stationed on the southernmost Australian outcrop in Antarctica—positioned about 20 kms from the edge of the continental ice sheet and will share a small village of shipping containers with around 40 scientists, tradies and technicians.
Davis station under an aurora (Photo: Vicki H)
An employee with the Customs and Australian Border Force in roles spanning corporate, commercial and frontline operations for the last 21 years Ms Yannopoulos says she is ready for the challenge and looks forward to exloring the frozen continent.
”I particularly enjoy frontline operations, so when I saw the Australian Antarctic Division role, I thought it was the perfect combination for me working with new people, my sense of adventure, my love to travel and to do new things,” she says.
Originally from Canberra, she has lived in Sydney, Melbourne and Malaysia.
“It will be a real change of temperature from 33 degrees every day in Malaysia to the minus 30,” says Ms Yannopoulos and stresses that supporting science and protecting the environment is a key aim alongside fostering a strong station community.
“My job is to make sure that everybody has the environment they need to deliver on their projects, keep the station running, harmonious and have a great time.”
November to March is a busy time for AAD as we undertake #Antarctic station change-over & resupply.
Hats off to our hard-working logistics and operations teams who make it all happen, year after year.
“I love having a team of people that think differently. This will be the first time that I’ve worked with tradies and scientists so that will be challenging for me.”
Dani Yannopoulos and the incoming Davis team have spent months training in preparation for the exciting year ahead.
While looking forward to new challenges and Antarctica’s incredible wildlife, there are a few comforts she will miss from home.
“I’m obviously going to miss my family and friends but I’m absolutely going to miss my hairdresser,” she said.
To keep track of Dani’s Davis Research Centre experience, check updates here.
Anna Malos is an environmentalist, ecologist, forester – “yes, they go together” – and advocate for climate change action.
She says the federal government’s recent “crucial” commitment to net zero by 2050 is a great but “nimble” start.
“I would like to see Australia start off with that goal for net zero by 2050, but then as we realise how achievable that is, you know, bring back that goal,” she tells the Greek Herald.
“What ClimateWorks research shows is that Australia can get to net zero by 2035 if we use all the resources available to us.”
Anna Malos says the federal government’s recent “crucial” commitment to net zero by 2050 is a great but “nimble” start
Anna Malos is the country lead for ClimateWorks – an advisory and advocacy group for a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 in Australia and the Asia Pacific.
Her team looks to advocate for climate change within a political and economic context.
Malos has previously advised environmental and sustainability policies for the London government and has a master’s degree in forestry and land use from Oxford University.
She says Australia should embrace a different attitude towards climate action.
“For the resources sector, it’s a big change, but it’s about which resources are mined rather than stopping mining altogether.”
“Australia can keep our role as an energy exporter” but she warns people are “still stuck in that way of thinking that everything to do with climate action is a cost.”
“For the resources sector, it’s a big change, but it’s about which resources are mined rather than stopping mining altogether,” Anna Malos says.
Net zero means no more greenhouse gas emissions will be released into our atmosphere than are removed or offset.
How do we do it?
She says decarbonising the nation’s electricity grid would be a strong start.
“…not only can we have a fully zero emissions electricity sector but we can also increase the amount of electricity we generate.”
So, why can’t we decarbonise our industries sooner?
Malos says climate commitments and targets have to be put in context.
“…different countries have very different levels of emissions now for various reasons,” she explains.
“Many countries in Africa, you don’t want them to have to change their economies as rapidly because they’re still developing. They need a bit of leeway.”
“Australia is a wealthy country with these incredible resources that can move faster. That gives leeway to other countries to take time, to catch up, if you like.” “That’s why you’ve got that kind of difference between the global goal and what, you know, but, um, organisations like ClimateWorks considers is Australia’s fair share.”
Anna Malos is optimistic about the future.
Malos is optimistic about the future.
“I think in five years’ time Australia will have moved forward.”
It’s about getting everybody on board.
“…business and investor attitudes have shifted radically and that’s as the science has changed and as technology has changed.”
“Investors are acting, businesses are acting, many governments are already acting…”
“I think … the vast majority of people in this country want more action on climate. They want to live in a safe world.”
“I think that pressure will come to bear on our politicians.”
The story of how Toni Korsanos and Jamie Odell took the reins of Scientific Games – an American company – from Ron Perelman is a tenacious one.
Odell promoted Korsanos as the company’s chief financial officer long ago.
“I was the only CFO he hired over his tenure,” Korsanos laughed. “I lasted the distance.”
It was a bond that would underpin one of the most remarkable changes of control of a multinational company.
Scientific Games had one overwhelming issue: its huge debt.
“It wasn’t a broken business but the debt masked it,” Korsanos tells the Australian.
She started developing new talent and looking at gaming strategy with Odell and the management.
Odell and Korsanos set out to reshape the Scientific Games portfolio of assets, removing two businesses, SG Lotteries and OpenBet, and redefining the company as a leader in content and gaming with the three platforms for growth: land-based gaming, social gaming, and real money gaming online.
Scientific Games recently offloaded its SG Lotteries to Canadians Brookfield for US$6 billion.
The two sales should be wrapped up by the second quarter of 2022, delivering Sci Games an investment-grade balance sheet.
“With money to invest, good dry powder,” said Odell.
