The confidential resignation letter of the NSW building commissioner is likely to be released to state parliament amid scrutiny over the conduct of the recently dumped fair trading minister Eleni Petinos.
David Chandler, tasked in 2019 with cleaning up NSW’s construction industry as the state’s first building commissioner, tendered his resignation last month despite having recently signed a contract extension.
David Chandler tendered his resignation last month despite having recently signed a contract extension.Credit:Kate Geraghty
The NSW opposition on Tuesday said it would use Legislative Council powers to compel the government to release the letter after it was revealed that Petinos met representatives from a property development company that employed former deputy premier John Barilaro.
The opposition queried the meetings between Petinos and Coronation Property, given a stop work order had been placed on one of its major projects, and also called on the premier to provide Chandler’s resignation letter.
Chandler, who reported to Petinos, had oversight of stop-work orders and whether to revoke them. Perrottet told question time that Chandler’s resignation was not a factor in his decision to sack Petinos as minister, but added that he had not read the letter in question.
Opposition fair trading spokeswoman Courtney Houssos said the government needed to provide more clarity over Chandler’s snap departure.
Former fair trade minister Eleni Petinos.Credit:Wolter-Peeters
“We think it’s important that the public has the opportunity to see why the building commissioner resigned so suddenly from his post. It’s not good enough for us to keep trying to piece together this picture,” she said.
“I’m really concerned that the premier has not taken the time to read this letter after we’ve been asking about it for several weeks. It’s either extreme negligence, or maybe there is something in there that he doesn’t want to know.”
Taiwan’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that China was using the military drills it launched in protest against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit as a game-plan to prepare for an invasion of the self-ruled island.
Joseph Wu, speaking at a press conference in Taipei, offered no timetable for a possible invasion of Taiwan, which is claimed by China as its own.
He said Taiwan would not be intimidated even as the drills continued with China often breaching the unofficial median line down the Taiwan Strait.
“China has used the drills in its military play-book to prepare for the invasion of Taiwan,” Wu said.
“It is conducting large-scale military exercises and missile launches, as well as cyberattacks, disinformation, and economic coercion, in an attempt to weaken public morale in Taiwan.
“After the drills conclude, China may try to routinize its action in an attempt to wreck the long-term status quo across the Taiwan Strait,” Wu said.
Such moves threatened regional security and provided “a clear image of China’s geostrategic ambitions beyond Taiwan”, Wu said, urging greater international support to stop China effectively controlling the strait.
A Pentagon official said on Monday that Washington was sticking to its assessment that China would not try to invade Taiwan for the next two years.
Wu spoke as military tensions simmer after the scheduled end on Sunday of four days of the largest-ever Chinese exercises surrounding the island – drills that included ballistic missile launches and simulated sea and air attacks in the skies and seas surrounding Taiwan.
China’s Eastern Theater Command announced on Monday that it would conduct fresh joint drills focusing on anti-submarine and sea assault operations – confirming the fears of some security analysts and diplomats that Beijing would keep up the pressure on Taiwan’s defences.
On Tuesday, the command said it continued to hold military drills and exercises in the seas and airspace around Taiwan, with a focus on blockades and resupply logistics.
A person familiar with security planning in the areas around Taiwan described to Reuters on Tuesday a continuing “standoff” around the median line involving about 10 warships each from China and Taiwan.
“China continued to try to press in to the median line,” the person said.
“Taiwan forces there have been trying to keep the international waterways open.”
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that China’s continued military exercises “highlight that its threat of force has not decreased.”
As Pelosi left the region last Friday, China also ditched some lines of communication with the United States, including theater level military talks and discussions on climate change.
Taiwan started its own long-scheduled drills on Tuesday, firing howitzer artillery out to sea in the southern county of Pingtung, attracting a small crowd of curious onlookers to a nearby beach.
US President Joe Biden, in his first public comments on the issue since Pelosi’s visit, said on Monday he was concerned about China’s actions in the region but he was not worried about Taiwan.
“I’m concerned they are moving as much as they are,” Biden told reporters in Delaware, referring to China. “But I don’t think they’re going to do anything more than they are.”
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl also said the US military would continue to carry out voyages through the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks.
China has never ruled out taking Taiwan by force and on Monday Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China was conducting normal military exercises “in our waters” in an open, transparent and professional way, adding Taiwan was part of China.
Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims, saying only the Taiwanese people can decide the island’s future.
Get updated and educated with Episode 514 of the top rated Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech to stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews.
On this week’s show: rumors are swirling about the new iPad after some leaked renders, why does Gen Z love subtitles when watching TV shows and movies and Uniden has released a higher resolution wireless security camera.
In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the new Google Pixel Buds Pro earphones, we take a look at the Lenovo Slim 7 X Pro laptop and we’ll tell you about Oppo’s affordable new smartphone.
In the Tech Guide Help Desk we talk about how to solve the buffering issues when streaming content in your home.
You can listen to the Tech Guide podcast right here using the podcast player below.
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And we’d love to hear your feedback – you can tweet me @StephenFenech
Stephen is the Tech Guide editor and one of Australia’s most respected tech journalists. He is a regular on radio and TV talking about the latest tech news, products and trends.
Nick Kyrgios says his way of thinking has changed and admits that being in a serious relationship has had a positive impact on his career as he now has a “partner I see a future with and I want to provide for.”
Kyrgios, 27, started dating Costen Hatzi in late 2021 and his girlfriend has been accompanying him at tournaments throughout the entire 2022 season. Kyrgios looks extremely happy on and off the court as he has been playing the tennis of his life in 2022.
With girlfriend on his side, Kyrgios’ motivation to do well is off the charts. “Honestly, I feel as if I’m a lot older, a lot more mature, and I feel like when you get older, you realize you shouldn’t be taking these things for granted, the way you’re feeling, the way your body feels.
Also, I have a partner with me now I see a future with and I kind of see that I have to provide for. So I feel like my motivation is a lot higher than it used to be,” Kyrgios said, per Sportskeeda.
Kyrgios on those who still think he is bad for the game
“I don’t care about what people say about my tennis, like always disrespectful to the sport, all this, all that.
I know that deep down that I try really hard to do it my own way. I know that I inspire millions of people, and I’m just playing for them,” Kyrgios said. The 2022 season has been absolutely great for Kyrgios, who became a Grand Slam champion earlier this year after he and Thanasi Kokkinakis won the Australian Open men’s doubles title.
After winning the Australian Open men’s doubles title, Kyrgios reached his first Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon. Kyrgios fell short to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final but won his first title of the year last week after beating Yoshihito Nishioka in the final. This week, Kyrgios plays Sebastian Baez in the Montreal first round.
Papua New Guinea’s incumbent Prime Minister, James Marape, has been returned to the top job.
Key points:
James Marape will return as PNG prime minister, leading a coalition government
The PNG election has been marred by unrest, with sometimes violent interruptions to the political process
Peter O’Neill had sought to delay Tuesday’s parliamentary sitting to allow more time for counting votes, but that bid failed
Mr Marape was voted in as prime minister unopposed, with unanimous support from all MPs present in the first parliamentary sitting following the country’s controversial, and at times violent, national election.
He is set to lead at least 17 parties in a coalition government.
Mr Marape first became PNG’s leader in 2019 after leading a walk-out on then-prime-minister Peter O’Neill.
Mr Marape fended off similar attempts to oust him from the job the following year, before leading the country to the polls in July.
PNG’s ‘worst’ election in living memory
The first parliamentary sitting was delayed for almost three hours while some late writs were delivered.
As the country’s newly elected MPs gathered, some of the 118 seats were empty.
The results for 105 MPs were presented to parliament.
After a series of delays and extensions, vote is continuing counting in most of the outstanding 13 seats.
A handful of seats remained empty at the first parliamentary sitting after the election.(ABC News: Natalie Whiting)
Extensions have been granted for electorates that need more time to declare a winner, which is not uncommon in PNG elections.
Controversy hangs over several seats where counting was interrupted or completed ballots were burned, or in areas where there is mounting evidence of vote-rigging.
The prime minister’s political rival and predecessor Mr O’Neill went to the Supreme Court in an attempt to have the parliamentary sitting delayed until counting was completed, but the bid failed.
At a ceremony at Government House yesterday, Mr Marape’s PANGU Party was invited to attempt to form government on the floor of parliament after securing the most seats of any party in the election, with at least 36.
“The greater the responsibility, the greater the mandate, the higher and greater the obligation of those of us elected to parliament, to give back the trust you’ve given to us,” he said after the ceremony.
Former prime minister Peter O’Neill had pushed to have the first parliamentary sitting delayed to allow more time for counting votes.(ABC News: Natalie Whiting)
The election has been described by several analysts and MPs as the worst they have seen.
Mr Marape insists the issues in the election affected all candidates evenly and said most of the country polled well, describing the issues as a “minor difficulty”.
He defended the government funding of what he said was an independently run process, adding: “We have washed our hands clean of the electoral process.”
But he said his government would implement changes to try to address issues with transparency and the problems with the common roll, which saw an estimated 1 million people unable to vote.
“The census that will take place in 2023, from that we will overlap with a modernized electronic voter ID system,” he said.
Women return to PNG parliament for the first time since 2017
For the past five years, Papua New Guinea had no female MPs, making it one of only four countries in the world where that was the case.
This election, at least two women have secured seats in parliament.
Rufina Peter has been elected as the governor for Central Province, as a member of Mr O’Neill’s People’s National Congress (PNC) Party.
The PNC Party’s Rufina Peter (left) has been elected governor for Central Province.(Supplied)
She took a seat on the opposition benches next to Mr O’Neill.
At her declaration, Ms Peter paid tribute to the women and men of her province for voting in their first female leader.
“You decided it was time to give women a chance, and so we have come into this victory,” she said to applause from her supporters.
While parliament was sitting, another female candidate, Kessy Sawang, was elected in the Rai Coast Open seat.
Counting there finished this morning and her declaration was underway while her fellow MPs were being sworn in. She will join parliament when it next sits.
MPs ‘camp’ at private resort while public calls for basic services
Members of the new government’s coalition have been gathered at an island resort in the days leading up to Tuesday’s parliamentary sitting.
The system of “camping” is a standard practice to illustrate and control the numbers needed to govern in PNG, where coalitions are vital and notoriously unstable.
Mr Marape has repeatedly said the resort gathering has been used not only for politicking but also for MPs to develop policies and priorities.
There is no shortage of issues to address.
Voters across the country are calling for better provision of basic services including education, health care and utilities.
Senior PANGU member John Rosso, the most recent deputy prime minister,said there were also national issues to be addressed.
“We’re looking to deliver basic services for people, but at the same time our focus is on national affairs too, as a united Papua New Guinea,” he said.
“We have a lot to address and some of the major focuses will be improving our electoral processes [and] improving law and order for the country as a whole.
“There are a lot of challenges that are in front of us.”
John Rosso (centre), who has served as Mr Marape’s deputy, said the new government would also be focusing on improving electoral processes.(ABC News: Natalie Whiting)
Mr Marape will have 18 months of clear air before other MPs can legally begin challenging him for the top seat through a vote of no confidence.
As he entered the parliament chamber, Mr Marape was aware of the challenges ahead.
Donald Trump has been accused of spewing “unapologetic fascism” and “blood-and-soil rhetoric” in his rambling speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas over the weekend.
The former president pushed the notion from the stage in Dallas on Saturday that the US has been decimated since he left the White House in January of last year. He claimed that crime is out of control and that unemployment was skyrocketing – despite official figures showing that it’s at its lowest level in half a century.
His dark remarks drew outcry on social media, with Texas Monthly journalist Michael Hardy accusing him of inciting violence.
Mr Trump began his 108-minute address at the conclusion by greeting “proud patriots” in the audience after taking the stage to the tune of “God Bless the USA”.
Joined by former White House doctor and current Texas GOP Congressman Ronnie Jackson, Mr Trump noted that he “was an admiral, a doctor, and now he’s a congressman”.
He added that he had asked what Dr Jackson preferred. “He sort of indicated doctor, because he loved to look at my body. It was so strong and powerful,” Mr Trump said.
“This is no time for complacency. We have to seize this opportunity to deal with the radical left socialist lunatic fascists,” he said. “We have to hit them very, very hard. It has to be a crippling defeat.”
Former President Donald Trump delivers the final remarks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022
(AP)
He criticized moderate Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for supporting the Inflation Reduction Act. The legislation cleared a procedural vote while Mr Trump was speaking on Saturday, following a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris. The bill later passed the Senate on Sunday.
Mr Trump went on to criticize Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, saying that he’s “the most unpopular politician in the country, even more so than crazy Nancy Pelosi, and something has to be done”.
I have claimed that President Joe Biden “surrendered our strength and our everything” when withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan, adding that “they surrendered our dignity”.
Texas Monthly senior editor Mr Hardy tweeted that Mr Trump’s language about the withdrawal from Afghanistan echoed “the Nazi ‘stab in the back theory’ of losing WWI”.
“The streets of our Democrat-run cities are drenched in the blood of innocent victims,” Mr Trump went on to claim. “Bullets are killing little beautiful little children who never had a chance. Carjackers lay in wait like predators.”
“This is some literal blood-and-soil rhetoric,” Mr Hardy said, referring to the Nazi slogan expressing the idea that “ethnic identity is based on only blood descent and the territory in which an individual lives”, according to CNN.
“We need the courage to say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done,” Mr Trump added.
“This is a rallying cry for street violence and worse,” Mr Hardy tweeted.
Mr Trump claimed that “many people say” that what the January 6 rioters have been charged with “aren’t crimes”.
“The only countries that don’t have a drug problem are the ones that institute the death penalty for drug crimes,” the former president added.
He also called President Xi Jinping of China a “strong man”.
“Before the plague came in, I had a great relationship with President Xi. Strong man. He’s a great guy in many respects,” he said.
“The next president should use every power at his disposal to restore order” in Chicago, Mr Trump said.
“Even if that includes sending in National Guard,” he added.
Mr Trump said that he “wanted to send in the Guards, I wanted to send in the troops” in areas such as Portland and Minneapolis.
“Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn’t,” he said, adding that he wants troops sent to San Francisco, New York, and Chicago – large cities run by Democrats.
After calling for the relocation of the homeless from large cities, calling migrants crossing the southern border an “invasion”, and listing instances of undocumented migrants committing murder, Mr Hardy tweeted that “Trump’s rhetoric is significantly more extreme than even a few years ago. this might be [the] most frightening speech I’ve ever heard. Full-on, unapologetic fascism”.
“Trump has either been reading Mein Kampf or having someone read it to him,” Mr Hardy added.
He went on to say that “this is some seriously bloodthirsty s**t”.
Mr Hardy tweeted that Mr Trump called for “new legislation allowing [the] president to remove any government employee they deem corrupt. This is a call for a total purge of government”.
Tim Miller, the communications director for the 2016 Jeb Bush campaign and a former RNC staffer, tweeted that “I know everyone in the DC GOP is just hoping Trump will die but it’s impossible to watch this CPAC speech and not come to the conclusion that he’s going to run and be very hard to beat in a primary. Sorry to be the bearer of bad weekend news.”
AirPods Pro are very good, but they are now getting a little long in the tooth. In the time since their release, other companies have leaped in to release products that rival the AirPods Pro, sharing features and adding new ones to the table. Sony is one of the most prolific, with entire product lines designed to take some of Apple’s business – the LinkBuds S are the latest in the lineup.
AirPods Pro features with Sony sound
If the AirPods Pro aren’t up your street, but you’re looking for a pair of noise-canceling in-ears, then the Sony LinkBuds S will be just the thing you’re looking for. They’re a compact option with soft, silicon tips to make a good seal with your ear.
They charge over USB-C too, so you can plug the charging case into your best MacBook should they start to run out of juice. Sound-wise they’re going to be less balanced than the AirPods Pro, with an increased low end and Sony’s now signature bass-forward sound profile. They won’t set your ears alight with life-alteringly good sound, but if you were after that you’re probably not looking at a pair of Bluetooth in-ears.
This deal brings them to their lowest ever price, with a whole $52 off. That makes them $20 cheaper than the AirPods Pro today, and even cheaper than the AirPods 3 – and for the money, you’re going to get a lot more earphone. While you may not get Apple’s spatial audio, you most certainly won’t miss it. If you really want a pair of AirPods, however, you should check out the cheapest AirPods deals and sales.
Patrick Cripps’ home and away season is over after the Blues star failed to have his two-game ban overturned at the AFL Tribunal.
Cripps’ legal team argued his bump on Brisbane Lions player Callum Ah Chee was nothing more than a “football act”, but the AFL wasn’t having it.
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The Blues used Willie Rioli’s hit on Matt Rowell from earlier in the season as the example as to why the star shouldn’t be sanctioned.
Rioli left the ground and bumped into Rowell.
“My eyes are purely fixed on the ball,” Cripps said.
“I’m trying to turn and protect the drop zone of the ball, I’ve got my arms outstretched. The ball is there to be won.
“No way I can answer that ball without a collision being there
“In the heat of battle when the ball’s there to be won, I’m going to try and take possession of the ball.”
AFL counsel Nicholas Pane however argued that Cripps elected to bump and because of that decision, he was responsible for the outcome.
Cripps’ lawyer pleaded with the jury to let the star Blue off as it was simply just two players contesting the footy.
“This was a very even contest with milliseconds in it,” Cripps’ lawyer Peter O’Farrell said.
“The consequences of impact do not determine the reasonableness of an action.
“Concussion is a serious issue in sport, but it’s not to be explained away by blaming players all the time.
“On occasion there will be injury. Players can and do get hurt.”
A long kick down the line from Adam Cerra was punched high into the air by Brisbane’s Daniel Rich and Lions teammate Callum Ah Chee camped himself underneath it.
As the ball came down, Cripps came in at a hundred miles an hour and launched off the deck and flattened Ah Chee with a nasty hip and shoulder.
The impact of the hit left Ah Chee flat on the Gabba surface as several Lions teammates remonstrated with Cripps.
Medical staff rushed to Ah Chee’s side and he remained hunched over on his hands and knees before he was able to get back to his feet and under his own power make his way off the ground.
Ah Chee was subbed out of the game. Cripps was sixth favorite for the 2022 Brownlow Medal on TAB markets heading into the game.
Perth shivered through a cold snap on Tuesday as the city experienced its coldest day of the year so far.
It reached a top of just 12.4 degrees just before 4pm on Tuesday, blanketing Perth suburbs in an icy blast as the lowest temperature reached 9 degrees.
There has been 10.6mm of rain since 9am with Jandakot receiving the most at 40mm, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Perth has already had close to 121mm for the month of August in just nine days and should be on track to bet the monthly average of 122mm.
There is a 50 per cent chance of rain up until 8pm tonight with showers decreasing by 11pm.
Hikers in the State’s Great Southern witnessed snow fall atop Bluff Knoll, WA’s highest peak, in the Stirling Range National Park.
The short snow flurry dusted Bluff Knoll in white as hikers made the trek up the 1090m peak.
It was caused by a cold front that moved across Perth and the State’s south on Monday and Tuesday creating ideal conditions for a light amount of snow to fall on Tuesday morning.
Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Jessica Lingard told Perth Now on Monday that a “light dusting” of snowfall was expected in the region.
“We’ve got this cold front moving through today (Monday) and basically the cold front is aligned between two different air masses where you get warmer air in front of it and cold air behind it,” Ms Lingard said.
“I don’t think anybody is going to be building snowmen or skiing, but it will be a very light dusting.”
Snow was recorded at least five times last year in the Stirling Ranges, equaling a record set 53 years ago.
The owner of a conservative apparel company was fined more than $200,000 by the Federal Trade Commission for replacing “made in China” tags with “made in the USA” tags on clothing.
The FTC acted against Lions Not Sheep Products LLC owner Sean Whalen after he posted a video on social media titled “MADE IN AMERICA!” in which he said “he could conceal the fact that his shirts are made in China by ripping out the original tags and replacing them with tags stating that the merchandise was made in the United States,” the FTC said in a statement.
Whalen and Lions Not Sheep swapped the tags on shirts from May 10 to Oct. 21, 2021, according to the FTC.
Lions Not Sheep says on its website that it sources its “products and ‘blank’ garments from multiple domestic and international vendors and suppliers.”
Leah Hoopes wears a “Lions Not Sheep” hat as she addresses the crowd at the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival in Stroudsburg, Pa., on Oct. 15. Hannah Phillips / USA Today Network
“In our effort to keep as many jobs as possible inside the USA, our blank garments/items that are purchased internationally are shipped to the USA to be printed, embroidered, laser engraved, tagged, and bagged all inside the USA,” it says on the website. “This process is commonly known as ‘white-labeling.'”
In a post on the company’s Instagram account in May responding to the FTC’s investigation, Whalen said he is proud “to have built a company from a single tee shirt on blood sweat and tears and who employs dozens of hard working Americans.”
“Lots of folks who haven’t done much always have plenty to say, but we at LNS are head down working hard to continue to grow and support our first responders, military, and all patriots across the globe and build a bad ass company, “He said in the statement. “Our T-Shirts are Printed in the USA! Our hats are embroidered in the USA! GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
Whalen, who is also an author and a life coach, told NBC News that he would publish another statement about the FTC’s decision Monday.
As part of the order, Whalen will be fined $211,335 and the company must “stop making bogus Made in USA claims” and “come clean about foreign production.”
“Under the order, Whalen and Lions Not Sheep must stop claiming that products are made in the United States unless they can show that the product’s final assembly or processing — and all significant processing — takes place here and that all or virtually all ingredients or components of the product are made and sourced here,” the FTC said in a statement.
Lions Not Sheep features products on its website like shirts that say “Let’s Go Brandon,” which is code for insulting President Joe Biden, according to The Associated Press. It also features hats and shirts with the hashtag “#FJB” and the description “If you know, you know. #FJB.”
Another hat featured on the website bears the Revolutionary War slogan “Don’t tread on me,” which was featured on flags flown by the mob that violently overran the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The company’s about section on its Facebook page tells readers: “You have two choices. To LEAD or to be LED. We are a generation of LEADERS. We are a generation of LIONS.”
The company is based in Salt Lake City.
Mirna Alsharif is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
