The former New South Wales Building Commissioner, David Chandler, raised concerns in his resignation letter about the relationship between sacked fair trading minister, Eleni Petinos, and a major property developer that hired John Barilaro after he quit parliament.
The resignation letter sent by Chandler last month was released through parliament on Thursday.
According to The Guardian, the letter reveals Chandler raised concerns about what he described as “the advised relationship” between Ms Petinos and developer Coronation Property.
In the letter, Chandler says his concerns “crystallised” after he issued a stop-work order on a 790-apartment development in Merrylands owned by Coronation earlier this year.
The letter confirms Chandler was contacted by both Petinos’ office and Barilaro, who had by that stage left politics, shortly after the order was issued.
The building commissioner said he subsequently met with Mr Barilaro to answer his questions.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Mr Barilaro also met with Ms Petinos in the weeks before the stop-work order was lifted on July 4, 2022.
Giving evidence at a parliamentary inquiry on Monday, Mr Barilaro said he was no longer employed by Coronation at the time of the meeting which was to celebrate his appointment as NSW trade commissioner in New York.
Petinos, who was sacked last month after accusations of bullying, maintains she had no involvement with the lifting of the stop-work order, and it was a decision made by the Office of the Building Commissioner.
“The issuing and revocation of stop-work orders is a matter for the Building Commissioner, not the minister,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.
Source: The Guardian and ABC News.
