The building commissioner also described the difference in his engagement with the minister’s office, since a ministerial reshuffle last year resulted in Petinos taking over the portfolio from now-Hospitality Minister Kevin Anderson.
Alas, the same level of engagement has not been experienced since. My personal experience has been one where engagement with the minister’s office has been problematic,” he wrote.
“Given where all the above matters now rest, I believe my continued role as NSW building commissioner is no longer viable.”
An excerpt of the resignation letter
Further to these concerns, I have raised with you concerns that I have with the advised relationship of the Minister and Coronation Property Group. These concerns crystallized at the time of the Stop Work Orders issued under the Design and Building Practitioner’s Act, Declared Design Audit. As advised to you I received a call from the Minister’s Office shortly after a draft order was issued on Coronation’s Merrylands Development. Shortly after that call, a message was sent to me by JohnBarilaro who I was advised had recently joined the Coronation Board. This contact came to me as a message on my personal phone requesting a meeting with me. I copied that message to you. I subsequently met with Mr Barilaro to answer his questions about him. A separate record of that meeting exists.
Chandler said other officers in the department had reported similar experiences, “and important pieces of previously canvassed legislation have now run into serious disruption.”
The NSW opposition used upper house orders to compel the government to release the letter after it was revealed that Petinos met representatives from a property development company that employed Barilaro.
loading
Both Petinos and Barilaro have issued statements saying that Barilaro was not in attendance at a June 2 meeting between Petinos and Coronation Property. A second meeting with Coronation on June 21 was disclosed in her diary out of “an abundance of caution”, Petinos has said.
Barilaro on Tuesday said he didn’t work for the company on June 21, and the pair met to celebrate his new job as a trade commissioner to the US.
Chandler resigned abruptly last month despite having recently signed a contract extension. As an industry veteran of 50 years, he was tasked in 2019 with cleaning up NSW’s construction industry as the state’s first building commissioner.
His sudden resignation prompted over the circumstances of his departure amid scrutiny speculation over the conduct of recently dumped Petinos, to whom he reported.
Premier Dominic Perrottet on Wednesday revealed during question time that Chandler’s resignation letter was sent to the secretary of the Department of Customer Service, who referred it to the Independent Commission Against Corruption on August 1.
He said he only learned that the letter had been referred to the corruption watchdog late on Tuesday night.
Perrottet has maintained that the sacking of Petinos was unrelated to Chandler’s resignation.
When he resigned, Chandler said in a statement that he felt the time was right for “a reset”, but remained firmly committed to working with the department until the end of his tenure in November.
“I do not want my resignation to distract people from what has been achieved so far, and the work that is still to be done,” he said on July 27.
Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.