Sydney Water has been convicted of polluting a Western Sydney creek by discharging hundreds of thousands of liters of untreated sewage into the waterway.
Key points:
The overflow from the pumping station caused significant environmental damage to the Prospect Creek in Carramar
Tankers were supposed to remove the waste but could not keep up with the flow
More than 280,000 liters of sewage overflowed from the pumping station
The guilty verdict relates to an incident on January 15, 2019, which saw a major sewage overflow into the Prospect Creek at Carramar.
Prospect Creek is a major tributary of the Georges River and is used for recreational activities like fishing.
The contamination occurred after a sewer main at Carrawood Reserve in Carramar failed and the nearby pumping station had to be shut down so repairs could be undertaken.
Sydney Water knew there was risk sewage would overflow while the pumping station was shut down and arranged for tankers to be present to transfer the sewage to an alternative location.
However, the tankers were not able to keep up with the volume of overflow as site constraints meant only two tankers could operate at one time.
This meant raw sewage flowed through an underground pipe into the creek.
The incident was described as “significant” by a Sydney Water employee who notified NSW Health, NSW Fire and Rescue, WorkCover as well as the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).
It was estimated by a senior scientist from the NSW Department of Environment that between 11:59 pm on January 15 and 1:26 am on January 16 more than 280,000 liters of sewage overflowed from the pumping station.
Overflow from the broken main was estimated to be 318,000 litres.
This meant faecal bacteria in Prospect Creek exceeded the national guidelines for water quality by up to 7,900 times, the judgment said.
The overflow also caused increased levels of ammonia, and sewage odor and changed the color of the waterway.
Large areas of Coleman Park and the playing fields at Carrawood Oval were also affected.
Sydney Water argued a defense of necessity, claiming the overflow was necessary to avoid more dire consequences of failing to repair the main.
“The necessity … arose because shutting down the pumping station was required to prevent … unacceptable risk of harm to human health or life if the main was not able to be repaired as quickly as possible,” the judgment said.
However, Justice Tim Moore rejected this defence, noting there wasn’t sufficient evidence concerning the state of mind of those who decided to shut down the station.
The EPA brought three charges against Sydney Water for the incident, but the government-owned corporation was only found guilty on one count, which related to the decision to shut down the pumping station.
The authority, which pleaded not guilty to all charges, will be sentenced on September 6.
Sydney Water told the ABC it “welcomes” the finding of the court and will continue to work with the EPA to “protect and enhance the environment”.
Sitting in a big chocolate-colored booth, Ridge takes a sip of Californian Chardonnay and starts regaling me with tales of his life as a traveling salesman.
He says he’s been to 72 countries selling the famous blue and yellow cans, two of which he has strategically placed on the lunch table. His current American Airlines travel point balance has surpassed 6 million, and he has 4 million Marriott points.
“It all started in the 1970s,” Ridge says. “I had driven from Armidale through to Narrabri in NSW and it was a really hot, hot, hot day.
“So I had these two suitcases with product I’m trying to sell, and I have walked up the street and I go into a store and this guy comes out. And he says, ‘What can I do for you?’
“I said, ‘I am Garry Ridge and I am from Quality Auto Accessories’, and the guy said, ‘You can get the f— out of here. I don’t like your company and I don’t like your boss.’”
“So I put the two bags on the floor and sat on the bags. And he said, ‘What do you think you are doing?’ and I said, ‘If you think that I have carried these two bags all the way here and you’re going to tell me to get out, well, I’m not leaving here until at least you look at what I have in these cases.’”
The store manager responded by telling Ridge he could sit there all night for all he cared. Ridge did sit there for about an hour. When the store manager finally came back, he told Ridge to get a case of beer.
Ridge at his mother’s home in Sydney’s inner west suburb of Five Dock in 2009. Peter Braig
“I said, ‘No problem.’ I go across the road and get a case of beer. I come back. We sit down and have a couple of beers and start talking, and two hours later, I walk out with the biggest order that we’ve ever got from the area.”
As he finishes the anecdote, a big bowl of truffle fries is placed in the middle of the table and Ridge claws at them like an eagle. His fish tacos from him, glistening primary colors, arrive. He neatly arranges them, noting that there is nothing more Southern Californian than his meal from him.
Ridge might be surrounded by Americans and their culture, but he has not lost a gram of his Australian-ness. He grew up in Sydney’s inner west, worked for retailer Waltons and attended Sydney Tech College. He went on to work for Hawker Pacific, which owned the license for WD-40 in Australia, and then joined WD-40 in 1987 as managing director for Australia. He transferred to the US in 1994 as director of international operations, and was appointed chief executive in 1997.
“When I was first given the opportunity to lead WD-40, I was described by Forbes magazine as the ‘one-time traveling salesman from Australia’,” Ridge says.
His loyalty to one company could have something to do with Ridge’s parents. His father, a fitter and turner, worked for one company, which was owned by Westinghouse, for 50 years.
Home is never far away
His accent is still strong; he thinks this might be due to his listening habits of him.
“I listen to Australian breakfast radio every day. I drive home in the afternoon when it’s morning in Australia. I love the Australian culture. I love the Australian point of view. I love the way Australians reflect on things differently to the American culture.
“If I come up to you, as my friend in Australia, and I say, ‘Matt, will you do me a favour?’ Matt would say, ‘Yeah, what is it?’ But if I ask someone here, ‘Can you do me a favour?’ they say, ‘What is it?’, not, ‘Yeah’.”
Those differences in attitude have meant that Ridge had to adapt and evolve his leadership over the decades. He says he’s gone from being the blunt, tough Aussie to more conciliatory and understanding.
“My leadership style has changed over time. In the early days I was the ‘be brief, be bright and be gone’ leadership style. I didn’t understand the need to have people in an organization that were passionate about what they’re doing.
“For example, I do get really frustrated when people don’t do what they say they’re going to do. In the early days, I would have been really in their face, and say, ‘you have no right to do that’. Back then, I was more aggressive about it. Today, I would handle it differently. Now I would be more coaching about it.”
As well as managing people, Ridge has had to learn other skills.
“When the board of directors decided that I should be the CEO, to lead this public company, I’d never even been to Wall Street. I didn’t understand public markets. I was scared.
“I knew that our dream was to take the blue and yellow can with the red top to the world. But I said, ‘How are we going to do that?’ So, I had to go back to school to learn what I didn’t know.”
He completed a master’s degree in executive leadership at the Knauss School of Business at the University of San Diego, where, in his spare time, he is now an adjunct professor specializing in corporate culture.
Ridge takes another sip of the cool wine. He has a 1000-bottle home cellar, but, strangely, he loves a cheap Lindeman’s white.
The man in charge
“I was described by Forbes magazine as the ‘one time traveling salesman from Australia’,” says Ridge. Nick Moir
The day before we meet, I received a bottle of Penfolds as a gift from a long-term investor, GCQ Funds Management chief investment officer Doug Tynan, one of the few Australian businessmen Ridge has known for more than a decade.
“Meeting Garry for the first time was unforgettable,” Tynan recalls. “The first time I visited the old WD-40 headquarters there wasn’t even carpet on parts of the office floor!”
The restaurant has suddenly filled up and become so loud that there is a chance the interview recording might be difficult to understand, so we huddle in a bit like a coach with a player. Above us are pictures of prized horses; they remind me that Ridge rode into Times Square in 2003.
The idea was inspired by Richard Branson’s 1994 stunt, when he drove a tank into the famous location to crush Coca-Cola cans as a way to mark the launch of Virgin Cola. So for WD-40’s 50th anniversary, Ridge dressed up as a knight in shining armor symbolically protecting the secret formula for WD-40.
One of the biggest costs for WD-40 – about $US3 million a year – is the maintenance and protection of the company’s trademarks. At the San Diego headquarters are floor-to-ceiling shelves full of spray cans. They are divided into three categories: the first is WD-40 cans since the company began, the second is all WD-40’s competing brands over the ages, and the third is all the counterfeit WD-40 cans seized from around the world.
Remarkably, when Ridge visited a factory in China where fakes were being made, he was told they had a letter approving the manufacture. Ridge asked to see the letter and what they produced before him was a decades-old forgery of his signature.
“We have private investigators who go out into the market and identify the cans; once they’re identified, we then link them up with our enforcement people. And we have to then go to the local law enforcement, they will go in and they’ll raid that warehouse. What we’re trying to do is swim upstream to find the bigger fake manufacturer. It can just be a guy in his garage with an aerosol filling machine. Some of them go to jail.”
The current climate
Ridge recalls being one of the first people to bring a can of WD-40 into China.
“That was back in the ’80s, when the competing product in China then was dirty diesel oil, ignorance and a hammer,” he laughs, before saying how much he respects the Chinese people and their incredible growth story.
“I have a lot of very, very close and treasured Chinese friends. I think the Chinese are some of the hardest working, most honest people I’ve ever seen.
“But how their government is doing things may be different. What does the leadership of China want? I don’t know. I mean, I could guess. Look back in history, from the Romans to Hitler to what’s happening in Russia.”
Ridge is nervous about the current economic situation in America. He’s had to deal with a 40-year high in inflation – when he had to pass on prices and keep them there – without engaging in any so-called shrinkflation. “We’re going to talk ourselves into a recession, there’s no doubt about it,” he says.
We have finished our food and decide upon the very un-American option of tea.
The conversation shifts back to his family.
“I don’t really have a best friend here other than my wife,” he says.
He has two children from his first marriage: a son, Peter, aged 41, who is a senior director of sales at Adidas; and a daughter, Kate, 38, who was a professional dancer until a back injury forced a change of career – she’s now a teacher.
Ridge has just bought a tract of land in Kauai, Hawaii, where he is building a dream home.
“The reason I like it is that it’s 10 hours to Australia and six hours to the US. It has a lot of nature, and there is a lot of hiking.”
Ridge says he is not retiring and wants to help businesses improve their leadership. His successor is the company’s president and chief operating officer, Steve Brass, with whom he has worked for 30 years. Ridge says he still has so much to offer and doesn’t want to leave anything on the table.
His mother lived until she was 99 years and nine months old, so he could have plenty of time.
“I have a lot more I want to achieve. Life is a gift, don’t leave it unwrapped.”
bill
Residence, 5951 Skyline, Rancho Santa Fe, California
Motorola is proving to be the new powerhouse smartphone brand in Australia with ChannelNews able to confirm that the new Motorola Razr foldable smartphone is set to be launched in Australia as early as September.
Also coming is a new Motorola X30 and X30 Pro along with an all new Moto Watch 100.
In an exclusive interview with ChannelNews, Mototola General Manager Australia Kurt Bonnici, confirmed that the all new Razr foldable that comes with a large 3,500mAh battery and a 144Hz OLED display and was revealed in China yesterday will go on sale shortly in Australia.
According to Bonnici most features will stay the same as the new model though there will be variations to the memory configuration for the Austrtalian market.
We understand that carriers and mass retailers are clamoring to range the new device as an alternative to the new Samsung Galaxy Flip 4, that was launched earlier this week, with 30% of consumers who now own a Samsung foldable device brand switching from the likes of Apple and other brands to a foldable device.
Bonnici said “Yes we will launch the new Razr in Australia and pricing will be similar to Samsungs Fold 4″he said.
“The foldable smartphone is set to grow and we will be a key player in this market”, he said.
The move is ideal timing for the Lenovo owned Company that do not have the same marketing funds and the timing of the launch allows them to ride in Samsungs marketing slipstream.
Earlier this week Samsung launch a new $499 Watch 5 and a $799 Watch 5 Pro.
Motorola has confirmed (see separate story) that they will launch with a partner the new Moto Watch 100 smartwatch that is described as a contemporary aluminum smartwatch that’s high on value and impact.
With built in is multiple health and lifestyle features, extended battery life, and an all-new streamlined OS the new Motorola watch is tipped to retail at half the price of the Samsung Watch 5.
In addition the new Motorola watch which will retail around could be given away with the new Razr according to one retailer ChannelNews spoke to.
During the past 12 months Motorola grew their base in Australia by over $250% and the introduction of a new range of premium smartphone which will include the all new Motorola X30 Pro could see the Lenovo owned brand become a key player in the premium smartphone market which has been dominated by Samsung and Apple claim analysts.
After rushing the last Razr the new model is a powerhouse with the latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset powering the device, it also has a foldable 144Hz P-OLED display, a secondary screen, two 50-megapixel cameras on the back, and a large 3,500mAh battery that can be charged quickly.
Some reviewers are already describing it as “superior” to the latest Samsung offering.
The inner foldable display is a 6.7-inch OLED screen, while the cover display is a 3-inch display an 800 x 573 resolution, which will deliver nine different widget options for at-a-glance info.
The display will have support for DC dimming and a 10-bit panel with HDR10+ support.
It will be one of the few smartphones in the market to sport an OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate.
Another notable change is the dual-lens rear camera setup, but there is no word if more color options other than black will be available in Australia.
Observers are claiming that the inclusion of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and chipset is a huge jump for Motorola.
By using this Motorola chipset will be able to unlock new capabilities for the camera similar to what Samsung has delivered.
Another big addition with the 2022 Razr is a 1/1.55-inch 50MP primary camera with OIS. It supports 4-in-1 pixel binning, so you can expect to get 12.5MP images.
The main camera is accompanied by a 13MP ultrawide camera with a 121-degree field of view and support for macro shooting. On the front, you get a 32MP sensor.
About Post Author
David Richards has been writing about technology for more than 30 years. A former Fleet Street journalist, he wrote the Award Winning Series on the Federated Ships Painters + Dockers Union for the Bulletin that led to a Royal Commission. He is also a Logie Winner for Outstanding Contribution To TV Journalism with a story called The Werribee Affair. In 1997, he built the largest Australian technology media company and prior to that the third largest PR company that became the foundation company for Ogilvy PR. Today he writes about technology and the impact on both business and consumers.
An infamous F1 villain has been called out over possible collusion in the ongoing Oscar Piastri contract saga at Alpine.
Piastri’s future is up in the air after Fernando Alonso declared he would be leaving Alpine for Aston Martin next season. Alpine quickly announced that their long-time junior prospect Piastri would replace Alonso for 2023 – only for Piastri to reject their statement about him in a public bombshell.
Alpine believe their contract with Piastri will force him to race for them next year, though the young Aussie has also signed a deal to replace Daniel Ricciardo McLaren next season.
F1’s Contract Recognition Board this week reportedly found both Piastri’s Alpine and McLaren contracts are valid, according to Auto Hebdo of France.
Alpine is now threatening to take Piastri and McLaren to court to seek compensation for their huge investment in Piastri’s years of training – and Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer’s bold claims didn’t stop there.
Watch Every Practice, Qualifying & Race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™ Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
‘Expected more loyalty… it’s about integrity’: Alpine boss shreds Piastri in brutal spray
Fernando Alonso (l) and Nelson Piquet Jr (r) with team boss Flavio Briatore (c) ahead of the 2008 F1 season… a year that would end in dramatic controversy.Source: News Limited
“Going to the High Court is over 90 per cent certain that’s what we’ll do,” Szafnauer told Reuters.
“If the CRB (Contract Recognition Board) says ‘Your license is only valid at Alpine’, and then he (Piastri) says ‘That’s great, but I’m never driving for them, I’ll just sit out a year’, then you’ve got to go to the High Court for compensation.”
The Alpine boss also hinted at potential collusion between Piastri’s manager Mark Webber, Alonso and his manager Flavio Briatore.
Alpine’s big Piastri admission as Aussie rising star’s F1 standoff takes another twist: Pit Talk
Costly Dan snub won’t change team’s grim reality; giant tops ‘wildest dreams’: F1 report card
Daniel Ricciardo seeking eye-watering payout as ugly McLaren exit nears
Briatore is one of the most controversial figures in F1, due to his renegade management of the Enstone squad now known as Alpine, having spent years overseeing the team in its former guises as Benetton and Renault. He also managed Mark Webber at one point and remains close to his former charge from him, while he continues to manage Alonso.
“Look, I have no record of it, but this is Formula 1 and maybe in a couple of years someone says that they have evidence of shared information, I would not be surprised,” Szafnauer said.
“I always tell everyone that in Formula 1 you have to act as if everyone knows everything. That there are no secrets in these things. When you ask someone not to say anything, they act like everyone knows.
“That’s how I’ve run my business in Formula 1 for 25 years. And if this (information sharing) has happened, you should not be surprised.”
Mark Webber and his then-manager Flavio Briatore at the Australian GP in 2007.Source: News Corp Australia
Christian Danner, a German F1 driver from the late-1980s who is now a pundit in his native country, also declared Piastri’s actions bear Briatore’s trademark.
“It’s classic Flavio. There was certainly a (Alpine) contract for Piastri that Flavio has skimmed over … there was definitely a clause,” Danner told Motorsport Magazine.
“When he believes in someone, he has the foresight to plan in a positive sense – and not just ruthlessly, which is logically the case in this business.
“I could imagine Piastri (using Briatore) to free himself from Alpine’s grip, so that he can hopefully drive for McLaren for the next two years and then be free for a big deal.
“That definitely has Briatore’s signature.
“It can all go wrong, of course, but if it works out, then he (Briatore) has done everything right.”
Ricciardo set to be replaced by Piastri | 00:32
72-year-old Briatore’s Renault team was charged with race fixing in 2008 at the Singapore Grand Prix, after their driver Nelson Piquet Jr. claimed he had been ordered to deliberately crash his car. Teammate Fernando Alonso had just pitted, and the resulting safety car helped him go on to win the race.
Briatore and Renault engineering chief Pat Symonds were both indefinitely banned from all elite motorsport categories before a French court later overruled the ruling.
It wasn’t the only Briatore scandal, with his Benetton team in 1991 remarkably sacking driver Roberto Moreno in order to sign Michael Schumacher after his debut race.
Moreno successfully appealed to a court – which found his contract was valid – but was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to leave the team and allow Schumacher to join.
The young Schumacher would subsequently win his maiden title at the Benetton franchise.
Sixteen of the 18 horses that traveled on a Spirit of Tasmania ferry trip in 2018 likely died about eight hours into the voyage, a court has heard, and the two that survived were the last loaded onto their converted refrigeration trailer.
Key points:
Sixteen polo ponies died after being exposed to high temperatures onboard a Spirit of Tasmania ferry in 2018
Ferry operator TT-Line has maintained it’s not guilty after being charged with 29 breaches of the animal welfare act
More evidence in the hearing will be heard next week
Ferry operator TT-Line is fighting 29 charges of breaching the animal welfare act, including that it failed to ensure the horses were individually stalled and to ensure there was adequate ventilation.
The Burnie Magistrates Court has heard the professional polo ponies were exposed to high temperatures, increasing their respiratory demand, and likely died about eight hours into the voyage across the Bass Strait.
Sophie Doake, a vet based in Victoria, told the court she had not been informed of the fate of the other horses when she was called to help.
She said one of the two surviving horses had a respiratory rate of 40 breaths per minute, far above eight to 16 that would normally be expected.
The horses likely died about eight hours after boarding the Spirit of Tasmania.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)
She also said that horse had a heart rate “double what it should have been”.
As a result, Dr Doake said the horse would have “without a doubt” been in a level of pain.
It was only after she completed her examination of the horse she was informed of the circumstances of the incident.
She said it was her understanding that the horse was the second last to be loaded on the trailer.
The trailer that carried the horses had a gap where the tailgate is located.(Instagram: chelcroz)
The only other surviving horse was in good condition, and Dr Doake understood that horse was the closest to the trailer’s tailgate.
The court had previously heard a gap where the tailgate is situated meant more air was able to get in.
More evidence to eat
Evidence in the long-awaited hearing against the state-owned company began to be heard on Thursday after TT-Line’s defense lawyers launched multiple unsuccessful attempts to adjourn the proceedings.
TT-Line defense lawyers argue no-one could have foreseen the deaths of the 16 polo ponies.(ABC News: Lachlan Bennett)
The court began hearing evidence from an investigator into the deaths, Biosecurity Tasmania’s Debra Grull, who appeared in court on Friday.
Dr Grull told the court she had transported up to six horses at a time across Bass Strait in a personal capacity.
“It’s about making sure that the horse not only merely survives the transport but undertakes the crossing well,” she said.
Dr Grull said well-ventilated transportation was “crucial” to a horse’s health and welfare.
Defense lawyers argued Dr Grull did not demonstrate any specialized knowledge in horse transportation.
They said comments around ventilation were “opinion” and she did not have adequate qualifications to make them.
Magistrate Leanne Topfer ruled Dr Grull was able to give the evidence.
The ponies had competed at an event at Barnbougle in north-east Tasmania.(Supplied: Barnbougle Polo)
The hearing was added until next week, when Dr Grull will continue giving evidence.
Former Australian polo captain Andrew Williams, who was driving the trailer, changed his plea to guilty in July to charges arising from the incident.
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. and GRAY Hong Kong have joined forces to introduce the Zenfone 9, the latest model in the world-renowned Zenfone series.
Leveraging on its small size, the Zenfone 9 is introduced with the idea: “Compact size, big possibilities”.
The Zenfone series has always been popular among “techies” and “gamers”. However, the tech giant wanted to extend its appeal and widen its consumer base attracting new consumers who look for phones that match their lifestyle instead of purchasing only performance-oriented ones.
GRAY Hong Kong developed the concept of “Grab Life with One Hand” with the film and teaser trailers, shot by global production powerhouse Sweetshop’s Matthys Boshoff. It shows Zenfone 9 through different scenarios where you would usually require two hands. The use of bright color palettes and everyday life occasions reinforce the lifestyle element of the Zenfone 9 while keeping its technological prowess through CPU breakdowns and gimbal stabilizer animations.
The film’s opening scene displays the convenience of the Zenfone 9 as the protagonist is effortlessly holding onto both a moving train’s handles and his phone. In contrast, we see others in the background not having as much luck.
Shot in Cape Town, South Africa, the film features the phone’s water-resistant ability, night mode camera, and impressive high-definition camera capabilities through cloud monitoring. Matthys suggested filming in Cape Town to give the setting a global feel and reach as many worldwide audiences as possible. These features are highlighted through an upbeat soundtrack, dynamic scenes that exemplify a sense of adventure, and fast-paced camera work.
“We are delighted to have collaborated with Gray Hong Kong and The Sweetshop to produce this incredible video, which fully conveys the Zenfone 9’s usability and features in real scenarios.” Shawn Chang, ASUS Phone BU marketing and sales director. “It was tough for us to organize a video shoot in this pandemic, but with the director’s professional suggestions and Grey’s skill and experience, we made it happen perfectly,” commented Shawn Chang.
“The Zenfone 9 is an exciting evolution in the ASUS Zenfone lineup. We wanted to highlight the ease of using it with one hand through various real-life situations. Once we had that idea, the production, casting and locations simply brought it to life .
We look forward to working with ASUS again in the future,” said Rick Kwan, Gray HK creative partner.
The Angels: A Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputy betrayed the public trust when he shared pictures of the remains of Kobe Bryant with a bartender, a witness told a jury at a trial over the leaking of photos of the basketball star.
Rafael Mendez jnr was a customer in the Norwalk, California, bar two days after the helicopter crash that killed Bryant, his daughter and seven others. He told the jury he was disgusted when the bartender described the photos the deputy had shown him a few moments earlier, and said he filed a complaint to the Sheriff’s Department from the driveway of his home.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among nine people who died in the crash.Credit:Getty Images
“I felt I needed to do the right thing and let the Sheriff’s Department know what happened,” Mendez testified. “I was in disbelief of everything that I heard and I was angry.”
Bryant’s widow Vanessa and Orange County financial adviser Christopher Chester, whose wife and daughter were among those killed in the crash, are suing Los Angeles County for negligence and invasion of privacy. They’re seeking unspecified damages.
“Sheriff’s Department personnel abused their access to the crash site by taking and sharing gratuitous photos of the dead children, parents, and coaches,” Bryant said in her amended complaint, filed in March last year, in the Los Angeles federal court.
Vanessa Bryant posted this family portrait to Instagram to thank “the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time” after the death of her husband, Kobe Bryant and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Credit:Instagram
The bartender, Victor Gutierrez, testified he didn’t recall much of the incident. He denied laughing with the deputy over the photos of the dismembered bodies, although the jury was shown a silent video from the bar in which the two men were gesticulating and laughing.
“Only a psycho would laugh” at such pictures, Gutierrez said.
In the middle of the bartender’s testimony, Vanessa Bryant broke down crying and was escorted out of the courtroom by her lawyer. She didn’t return.
Senior NSW Labor frontbencher Walt Secord has “unreservedly apologized” for his conduct, after a review into workplace culture at NSW parliament.
Mr Secord has acknowledged that he can be “too blunt and too direct in a fast-paced workplace”, especially with “strict deadlines and highly-stressful situations”.
“If any parliamentary staff members feel that my conduct in the workplace was unprofessional and caused offense or distress and was unacceptable, I unreservedly apologise,” he said in a statement.
Mr Secord’s statement followed an ABC investigation, in which several of Mr Secord’s current and former colleagues named him as having engaged in bullying behaviour.
They spoke to the ABC in light of the review by former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick into the workplace culture of the NSW parliament, which was today made public.
Of those spoken to by the ABC over the past week, five current politicians or former staffers said they had named Mr Secord when interviewed by Ms Broderick or her investigators.
In one submission to Ms Broderick’s investigation obtained by the ABC, a former staffer described the Shadow Police Minister as “a vicious manipulative bully who particularly targeted junior staff and young women”.
“At various times he used his position, size and voice to pressure, berate, intimidate and humiliate staff to get his own way, with no issue too petty to bring about one of his outbursts.”
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns is questioned about party’s culture
The former staffer described an incident in late 2020 in which he claimed Mr Secord demanded the staff of then-Labor leader, Jodi McKay, send a media release within five minutes of him arriving in his office.
When one member of the office said they needed to send the release to another staffer for her to work on, Mr Secord allegedly replied: “I don’t want her anywhere f…ing near my release”, going on to describe her as “useless”.
According to the submission, when one person objected to the staffer — who was not present to hear the attack — being described as “useless” Mr Secord responded: “You always overstep the mark, you think you’re an MP.”
When others stepped in, Mr Secord allegedly said: “Let’s have it out.”
The submission says after the incident, Mr Secord was banned from Ms McKay’s office.
The account has been corroborated by others in, or walking by, the office at the time of the alleged incident.
In his statement, Mr Secord said “I do not have the same recollections from the staff in the former Leader’s office — especially in relation to raised voices in the workplace”.
The ABC has been contacted by several current NSW Labor MPs — from both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council — and former staffers, who said that, in light of the Broderick review, the party needed to have a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying.
There is no suggestion Mr Secord’s alleged behavior involved any physical or sexual violence or harassment.
Several women in the caucus are planning to send a delegation to Mr Minns next week to discuss the issue of Mr Secord, and the broader culture of the Labor Party.
‘Swift action’ needed
A senior figure in the NSW Labor Party, Amanda Fazio, told the ABC one Labor MP had subjected staff to unacceptable behavior for years, but that no action had been taken.
The ABC understands the MP she was referring to was Mr Secord.
A former President of the Legislative Council, Ms Fazio urged Opposition Leader Chris Minns to take “swift action to remove this member from the ranks of the Labor team.”
Ms Fazio said: “The review by Elizabeth Broderick into bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct in the NSW parliament have brought to light the behavior of a senior member of the Labor team in the Legislative Council.
“Members and staff alike have been subjected to this person’s behavior for years but to date no action has been taken.
“The behavior is both unacceptable and incompatible with the rules of the Labor Party.
“NSW Labor has invested significantly in recent years to improve the culture, inclusivity and to stamp out bullying and harassment.
“This is evidenced by the adoption of a NSW Labor interim Code of Conduct.
“These revelations provide an opportunity for Labor Leader Chris Minns to demonstrate his commitment to improve the culture in the NSW Parliament by taking swift action to remove this member from the ranks of the Labor team.
“I have known Chris for many years and I am confident that he will rise to the challenge and set the standard required within the Labor team in the Legislative Council.”
Amanda Fazio is a former president of the NSW Legislative Council.(Supplied)
Mr Minns said the Broderick review provided an opportunity for all parties to examine their culture.
Asked this morning whether he was aware of the various claims, Mr Minns said: “I’ve never had a complaint made to me by a survivor or a victim directly as the leader of the NSW Labor Party.
“It’s very difficult to make a summary judgment about events or circumstances in which I haven’t been provided the detail but obviously we take all instances or reports of harassment or bullying seriously.”
In his statement, Mr Secord said he was “aware of my shortcomings”.
“I want to be part of repairing the culture in State Parliament, and addressing my behavior as part of that.
“I will be participating fully in any and all education measures or proposals put forward by the review or that the Labor party thinks is required.
“On a personal level, I have already been undertaking counseling due to the experiences and trauma of growing up as the child of a First Nation father and non-First Nation mother on Indian reserve in the 1970s in southern Canada, which has deeply affected me and impacted on my personality.This has made me a forthright person.
“In the last year, my life has changed completely. In October 2021, I married for the first time and have become active in my synagogue.
“That said, the bottom line is that there is no space for this type of behavior in the NSW parliament — or any workplace.”
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‘Please leave the NSW Parliament’: Women Minister calls out workplace harassers
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Keeping enough power in your device’s limited battery can be challenging — especially when you’ve got one of the older iPhone models. We’ve all had those moments when a critical call or message is cut off because the battery dies or when just one text wipes 10% off your battery life in an instant. But, in the modern day, it’s an avoidable problem. Enter: these handy power banks. They can slip right into your bag or pocket to deliver two or more full charges to most smartphones or your other mobile devices.
What should you be looking for in a portable charger?
Battery life: While there’s no real formula for how many charges you will get out of your portable charger, as it depends on what you’re charging, you can do a rough calculation by calculating how many times your devices mAh can fit into the charger’s mAh.
According to Gizmodo, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a phone with a 5,000mAh internal battery, so you’d expect a 20,000mAh power bank to recharge it four times if it’s fully charged, right? Not exactly, but you should see more than three recharges if the power bank is relatively new and fully charged for sure. Generally speaking, though, the higher the mAh, the longer-lasting it’ll be. Think around two-four charges.
USB-connectors: While USB-A is the standard because most charging cables end with that rectangular type plug anyway, some power banks offer up either USB-C or Apple’s Lightning connection points, so keep an eye out if that’s something you require.
Now that you know what you’re looking for, let’s get into it, shall we?!
The best power banks to buy in Australia
Anker Power Bank
Image: eBay
Anker’s power banks are a crowd favorite — and it’s not hard to see why — thanks to their epic durability and resilience against drops, alongside their four output options and quick charge capabilities.
Where to buy: eBay ($64.49, usually $79.99)
Anker Slim Power Bank
Image: eBay
While this baby has a smaller mAh than its predecessors, it comes at a perfect size and capacity to slide right into your pants pockets or one of your tiny Jacquemus-esque handbags for a night out because no one should worry about not having enough battery to order an Uber home.
Where to buy: eBay ($49.99)
ROMOSS Fast Charge Portable Charger
Image: eBay
This epic 20,000mAh portable charger offers quick charge support, as well as three output sockets to change a range of different devices, including the Nintendo Switch. How’s that for multi-tasking?!
Where to buy: eBay ($39.59)
iMuto Compact Power Bank
Image: eBay
The iMuto is an attractive-looking phone charger that brings a massive 20,000mAh battery to the party along with a pair of USB-A connectors for bringing power to various devices. It’s also got a handy digital screen, so you can see how much power is left in the bank.
Where to buy: eBay ($149.99)
Charmast Phone Charger
Image: eBay
It offers 26,800mAh across its five different ports, including a quick charge one. This phone charger is ideal for a big family road trip or someone who carries a lot of devices on-the-go — think your phone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch. It also can charge that Nintendo Switch of yours, which is an extra win.
Lions star Callum Ah Chee has made an embattled plea after copping racist abuse online following Patrick Cripps’ acquittal for their clash on Sunday afternoon.
Ah Chee was convicted in the violent hit from the Carlton skipper in the second quarter of the Lions’ win over the Blues. The AFL’s concussion protocols had already ruled him out of Friday’s clash against St Kilda.
On Thursday night, Cripps was cleared in a marathon appeals hearing of a two-game rough conduct charge for the hit – a decision Kangaroos great David King labeled “staggering”.
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In posting the screenshots of the abuse to his account on Friday morning, Ah Chee said the comments were “not something you want to wake up to in the morning.”
“How can this still keep happening? Why can’t my brothers and I just play the game we love without having to worry about shit like this,” he said.
“If my son grows up playing the game, I hope he doesn’t have to deal with this hate.
“It hurts and I’m sick to death of seeing it.”
The Lions have also reported the abuse to the AFL’s integrity unit. In their own statement, the Lions said they “strongly condemned” the comments.
Callum Ah Chee of the Lions celebrates a goal during the round 19 AFL match between the Brisbane Lions and the Gold Coast Suns at The Gabba on July 23, 2022 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/Getty Images) (Getty)
“It’s disgusting behavior and we must, and we will, continue to call it out. There is no place for racism in sport, or in society full stop,” the statement read.
“The Brisbane Lions celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and the incredible contribution Indigenous players have made to our club and to our great game.
“It’s disappointing to have to do so, but in moments like this we take the approach as a footy club to urge people to educate themselves about the harmful impacts of racially motivated comments and online abuse.”
With two rounds to play, the Lions are currently locked in a tight battle for a spot in the top-four with Collingwood, Melbourne, Sydney and Fremantle.
They take on St Kilda on Friday, and then Melbourne in a blockbuster at the MCG next Friday night.
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The backstories and controversies that have ignited feuds involving athletes
