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Sports

Isaiah Papali’i backflip on Wests Tigers contract, Parramatta Eels, Michael Maguire sacked

Isaiah Papali’i has confirmed he is yet to make a decision on whether he will honor the contract he’s signed with the Tigers or backflip on it to remain at the Eels.

Papali’i told 9 News that he’ll make a call “in the off-season” and also revealed the moment he began mulling over his future.

The 23-year-old signed a big-money three-year contract last November with the Tigers beginning next season.

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However just under a month ago reports emerged that Papali’i had a change of heart and was considering backflipping on the contract.

Speaking to 9 News on Monday, Papali’i was still unsure about what he was going to do.

“Obviously people ask me about it, just even on the street or family and friends are hitting me up but that’s kind of for my manager look after and even if I don’t stay here or I do go next year, I want to make sure that this year has no regrets,” he said.

“I reckon somewhere in the off-season because this is distracting me at the moment,” he added when asked when he wants to make a decision by.

“We have a massive opportunity and I don’t want to leave any stone unturned this year and look back on it and think ‘I shouldn’t have left that stuff get in the way’.”

One game suspension harsh on Ricky? | 03:27

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Papali’i also revealed that it was the sacking of Michael Maguire in June that “rattled the cage” for him.

“I think it was the coaching axing that went on,” the Kiwi international said.

“When I did sign it was talking to Madge — he’s an awesome coach. That rattled the cage a bit and I guess you have to have those conversations and I guess that was a massive factor for me.”

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Categories
US

GOP Cites Shaky Senate Procedure Argument for Killing $35 Insulin Cap

  • The GOP removed a $35 monthly cap on insulin prices from a landmark bill that passed the Senate.
  • Senate Republicans who did so cited procedural arguments about how the measure was proposed.
  • That masked the fact that Republicans could have got round that problem if they wanted.

GOP senators sought to blame Senate procedure for their move to kill a proposed monthly cap of $35 for insulin.

The response came after 43 Republicans voted against the measure, causing it to drop out of the huge spending bill that passed the chamber on Sunday.

Few of the 43 Republicans commented on why they removed the measure.

Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin was one — writing that he objected to the measure as a “gotcha” vote, instigated by Democrats to trap Republicans in a politically unpopular vote.

“Lying Dems and their friends in corporate media are at it again, distorting a Democrat “gotcha” vote,” he tweeted.

“In reality, the Dems wanted to break Senate rules to pass insulin pricing cap instead of going through regular order. They put this in a bill it wasn’t allowed in, all for show.”

Instead he suggested an alternative Republican price-capping measure that Democrats had rejected as too modest.

Similarly, Senate Minority Whip John Thune told reporters ahead of the vote that Democrats “wanted to tempt us to, I guess, vote against it.”

The rule Johnson referred to was a decision by the Senate parliamentarian that the insulin cap, proposed by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, was not eligible to be considered under the same rules as the rest of the package.

The procedure in question is known as budget reconciliation, and allows certain financial measures to pass with 50 votes instead of 60. In this case most of the Democratic proposals bar the insulin one were allowed to proceed like that.

While they were correct that the measure was deemed ineligible under the 50-vote rules, neither Johnson nor Thune acknowledge that the measure could have been kept anyway had 10 Republicans wanted to support it.

Warnock preemptively laid the blame for the measure not passing with Republicans.

“The only way it doesn’t pass is if folks on the other side of the aisle decide to block it,” Warnock told The Washington Post.

Democrats had rejected an alternative price-capping measure proposed by Republicans as too modest.

Categories
Technology

Protective coating material self-heals in 30 minutes when exposed to sunlight

Can scratches on car surfaces disappear when exposed to sunlight?  : A new self-healing coating material

Self-healing mechanism of eco-friendly protective coating material for vehicles including dynamic polymer network and photothermal dye. Credit: Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT)

Researchers have developed a transparent protective coating material that can self-heal in 30 minutes when exposed to sunlight.

Excellent durability of automotive coatings is the most important issue in protecting a vehicle surface. In addition, protective coating materials should be colorless and transparent so that the original color of the product can be seen. However, it is difficult to provide a self-healing function while satisfying all of these conditions. Materials with free molecular movement have high self-healing efficiency, but have low durability, whereas materials with high hardness and excellent durability have remarkably poor self-healing performance.

The research team of Dr. Jin Chul Kim, Dr. Young il Park, and Dr. Ji-Eun Jeong of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) has developed a transparent coating material that satisfies all of the above conditions and has similar performance to that of commercial protective coating materials and can be self-healed with only sunlight (particularly near infrared light in sunlight, in the wavelength range of 1,000 to 1,100 nm).






Self-healing of model car coated with developed clearcoat when exposed to focused sunlight with a magnifying glass for 30 seconds. Credit: Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT)

Using the developed self-healing protective material, surface scratches can heal in 30 minutes when exposed to sunlight. To demonstrate the self-healing performance of the developed coating material, the research team coated a laboratory-scale model car using a spray-coating machine. When the model car was exposed to midday sunlight for about 30 minutes, a scratch completely disappeared and the surface of the coating material was restored.

When sunlight is absorbed by the developed material, the surface temperature rises as light energy is converted into thermal energy. Subsequently, the increased surface temperature makes it possible to self-heal a surface scratch by repeating the dissociation and recombination of chemical bonds in the polymer structure.

To the existing commercial coating resin, the research team added a dynamic chemical bond (hindered urea structure) that can repeat the decomposition and recombination of the polymer structure, and mixed it with a transparent photothermal dye to induce dynamic chemical bonding actively upon exposure to sunlight .

Previous studies using photothermal dyes were mainly based on inorganic materials that are difficult to apply industrially as the coating material should be transparent. In addition, inorganic materials require a large amount of light energy to produce a photothermal effect.

Can scratches on car surfaces disappear when exposed to sunlight?  : A new self-healing coating material

Self-healed surface of a model car after scratching when exposed to focused sunlight with a magnifying glass (upper) or to sunlight directly (down). Credit: Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT)

The research team used transparent organic photothermal dyes that can absorb near-infrared light. Near-infrared light is a long-wavelength energy source that accounts for less than 10% of midday sunlight, and can thus circumvent excessive increase of the vehicle surface temperature. In addition, organic photothermal dyes have several advantages for commercialization: They do not affect the product color due to inherent colorlessness, easily blend with paints, and are inexpensive.

In the future, the developed self-healing material could be used as a coating material for transportation applications, electronic devices such as smartphones and computers, and building materials. In addition, it is expected to contribute to the realization of carbon neutrality by reducing the use of harmful organic solvents, which are generated in large amounts when repainting vehicles.

This research was published as the supplementary cover of the May 2022 issue of ACS Applied Polymer Materials.

Dr. Jin Chul Kim of KRICT, the research director, said, “The developed technology is a platform technology that synthesizes self-healing coating materials using both inexpensive commercial polymer materials and photothermal dyes. It is expected to be widely used not only in automotive clearcoats but also in various applications.”


A fast-healing and high-performance metallosupramolecular elastomer based on pyridine–Cu coordination


More information:
Da Hae Son et al, Fast, Localized, and Low-Energy Consumption Self-Healing of Automotive Clearcoats Using a Photothermal Effect Triggered by NIR Radiation, ACS Applied Polymer Materials (2022). DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.1c01768

Provided by National Research Council of Science & Technology

citation: Protective coating material self-heals in 30 minutes when exposed to sunlight (2022, August 8) retrieved 8 August 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-08-coating-material-self-heals-minutes-exposed .html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Categories
Entertainment

Carlo Bonomi, the voice of Pingu’s original ‘noot noot’ dies, aged 85

Pingu-lovers are paying tribute to the cartoon character’s original voice actor, Carlo Bonomi, by recalling his iconic catchphrase.

“Noot noot,” echoed through living rooms across the globe thanks to Bonomi, who died on August 6, according to the Italian news site afnews.info, which broke the report.

The 85-year-old from Milan is remembered most as the original voice of Pingu, a cheeky little penguin from the South Pole.

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Claymation penguin fans have taken to Twitter to pay respects to Bonomi, who became an integral part of the “sound track” of his city by recording the announcements of the Central Station and Florence Santa Maria Novella Station used until 2008.

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American cartoonist Travis Bickerstaff paid tribute to Bonomi in a tweet, saying the “noot noot” would live on.

“If you’re wondering if this will be the end of Pingu, it’s not,” Bickerstaff wrote.

“Other voice actors in the Pingu franchise had carried on Bonomi’s legacy, since he established the ‘Penguinese’ language for the series.”

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The claymation children’s show followed the charming penguin, whose light-hearted creativity sometimes got him into trouble but equally as often got him back on his feet.

Bonomi helped earn a global following for Pingu and his family, voicing the first four series.

His cause of death has not been revealed.

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Categories
Sports

Manly NRL player denies church brawl stabbing, says he was scared and ran

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In CCTV footage, played to the jury, Fainu and his friends could be seen jumping a fence back onto church grounds.

“I was expecting to go myself… into the dance hall and collect the money,” Fainu said. “I just saw something, like a brawl going on, when I was on my way to the chapel.”

He said he was “10 to 15 meters away” from the brawl of six to eight men.

“I backpedaled… started walking backwards,” Fainu said.

He said he had received training as a rugby league player to walk away from fights and “don’t get yourself involved”. He said he did not know the other group and nobody touched him that night.

“I just saw it for a minute or two, and then I ran away,” Fainu said.

“I was scared for myself… I heard ‘knife, knife’.”

Cunneen asked: “Do you know who stabbed Mr Levi?”

“No,” he replied.

Fainu said his group of friends discussed how the fight started and Faingaa said he had “dropped someone” and still “wanted to go back and get the money”, but would not tell him the reason.

Fainu said nothing was said about a knife, and he did not know anyone was stabbed.

He denied having any weapon or seeing any of his friends with a knife, and said the suggestion that he had a knife in his sling or pants was “incorrect”.

Asked by Crown prosecutor Emma Curran whether he was “the one that plunged a knife into the back” of Levi, Fainu said, “No ma’am.”

He dismissed the suggestion that he had brought a knife because he had one arm “out of action”, and denied having wanted to take Levi “out of the fight”.

“You swung around in front of him and swung the knife upwards towards his face?” the prosecutor asked.

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“That’s incorrect, ma’am,” Fainu replied.

Levi previously gave evidence he and a friend had walked two men to the front gate after a fight broke out on the dance floor. He was later stabbed in the shoulder blade while at his car, suffering a collapsed lung, internal bleeding and a laceration above his eyebrow.

Fainu disagreed with Curran’s suggestion that he had been the “leader of the group” seen on the CCTV, and denied being “up close, involved in the brawl”.

Fainu said a white towel seen on his head in the footage was “like a security blanket” which he puts cold water on when his head “gets really hot”.

Asked by Curran whether the towel was to hide his identity, he said he “had a bit of a headache that night”. Fainu said he was “sad, probably depressed” about his football career as he had not known whether he would play for Manly again after his injury.

He said he was not sure where Faingaa was now as they had not spoken since the altercation due to his bail conditions.

His trial before Judge Nanette Williams continues.

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Categories
Australia

Penny Wong defends push for China to ‘de-escalate’ tensions in Taiwan Strait and says region is concerned of ‘risk of conflict’

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has hit back at China for singling out Australia over calls to restore stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Senator Wong joined her counterparts from the United States and Japan on Saturday to condemn Chinese military escalation which saw high-powered missiles launched towards Taiwan and Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

The reaction drew the ire of the Chinese government which accused Senator Wong of “finger-pointing” while claiming it was the “victim” of “political provocation”.

But the Foreign Minister doubled down on her concerns on Monday and said Australia and regional partners would continue to “urge restraint”.

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“What is most critical at the moment is that the temperature is lowered and calm is restored when it comes to cross-strait tensions,” Senator Wong said in a press conference in Canberra.

“Australia continues to urge restraint, Australia continues to urge de-escalation and this is not something that solely Australia is calling for.

“The whole region is concerned about the current situation, the whole region is calling for stability to be restored.”

Over the weekend, the Taiwanese government accused Beijing of simulating an attack after the first trip to the island from a US House Speaker in a quarter of a century.

The Defense Ministry said China used 66 plans and 14 warships in the exercise on Sunday and had launched 11 ballistic missiles during live-fire drills on Thursday.

The US, Japan and Australia responded on Saturday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japan Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and Senator Wong calling for China to “immediately cease” its military exercises.

The trio also expressed concerns that China’s actions would “gravely affect international peace and stability”.

“They condemned the PRC’s launch of ballistic missiles, five of which the Japanese government reported landed in its exclusive economic zones, raising tension and destabilizing the region,” a joint statement said.

The Chinese Embassy in Canberra on Sunday defended the central government’s military exercises, describing them as actions to “safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

But the statement singled out Australia and said Canberra had “condemned the victim”.

Senator Wong hit back and said Australia was “not the only country concerned about escalation” and raised concerns of potential conflict in the Pacific.

“The region is concerned about the risk of conflict,” she said on Monday.

“We will continue, in a calm and considered way, to articulate our national interests.”

“Our interests are the interest of the region and that is restraint and de-escalation.”

Taipei was forced to scramble fighter jets and put shore-based missiles on stand-by with the Chinese Defense Ministry saying it was “testing the capabilities” of assault systems.

China has never ruled Taiwan but considers the island its territory.

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Categories
US

Arkansas judge found dead at bottom of lake after disappearing from family trip

The body of an Arkansas judge was pulled from a lake over the weekend after he ventured off alone during a recreational outing with family and disappeared.

Jeremiah T. Bueker, 48, the Arkansas County Northern District Judge, was spending time with several family members and friends in Jefferson County when he went off on his own, last seen near Mud Lake, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.

When he didn’t return, his family called police 911 and before midnight Sunday several agencies responded including sheriff’s deputies, the sheriff’s office marine patrol and the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Extensive ground and water searches were launched, with boats deployed. The searches were suspended due to low visibility early Sunday and picked back up after sunrise.

At 9:16 am Sunday, boats equipped with side-scan sonar, which provides a “birds-eye view of the water,” detected a body at the bottom of Mud Lake.

“Deputies utilized subsurface body recovery drag/rescue hooks to recover Bueker’s body. Upon recovery of the body, deputies and investigators with the assistance of family positively identified the body as that of Bueker,” the sheriff’s office said.

Bueker’s death is being investigated as an accidental drowning and his body will be sent to the State Medical Examiner, authorities said.

Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods said, “I truly pray that the successful recovery of Judge Bueker’s body by our deputies and Arkansas Game & Fish Wildlife Officers brings some sense of closure to the Bueker Family and those who knew him best.”

“The scour of emotions they must feel right now is devastating,” he added.

Categories
Entertainment

Geraldton hairdresser Kim Tran takes a stand to stop harassment and requests for sexual favors

WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE

A Geraldton hairdresser is fed up with a regular barrage of vulgar harassment she is forced to deal with from men seeking sexual favours, and has called out those who see her as nothing but an Asian “stereotype”.

Mother of one Kim Tran owns a barber shop in the suburb of Rangeway and last week posted a confronting insight into the overwhelming objectification that comes her way.

She resorted to publicly posting one of many text messages — with a phone number included — she has received from customers, requesting extra services. In this instance, the man asked for a “shave and a trim with a happy ending”.

Kim Tran is fed up with being asked for sexual favours.
Camera IconKim Tran is fed up with being asked for sexual favours. Credit: Jessica Morney/Geraldton Guardian

Ms Tran has even put signs up around her store, reminding certain people she is a “hairdresser only”, but still gets these offensive requests almost on a daily basis, both in person and via text messages.

The 29-year-old works two jobs — running a farm with her partner supplying vegetables to Australian supermarkets, as well as her day job at the barber shop, where many of her clients are children and their parents.

Many people think that Asians are mostly prostitutes, so I am often texted or harassed by customers at the store.

She said she was losing sleep over the frequent abuse and vulgarity, and decided it was time to speak up so people know she’s just a hairdresser, no more.

“I am often looked down on by others because I am Asian,” Ms Tran posted. “Many people think that Asians are mostly prostitutes, so I am often texted or harassed by customers at the store.

Kim Tran.
Camera IconKim Tran. Credit: Facebook/Facebook

“I believe there are many other women who have the same problem as me, but the difference is that they don’t dare to say it, maybe because they are shy or don’t want other people to judge them. I feel that isn’t right.”

She works in her salon alone and often keeps her door locked due to constant fear of abuse and break-ins.

“When I have customers I’m confident and keep the door unlocked, but when I’m in here by myself, or with children, I lock the door,” she said.

The Vietnamese woman said she believed the harassment was because of her culture and unfair stereotypes surrounding Asian women.

She claims men show her pornographic images on their phones to make her understand, and said there were instances when men would grope her, despite her not wearing revealing clothing.

“Lots of people come in here and sometimes try and touch me, grab me,” she said.

Ms Tran shared a shocking incident captured on her shop’s CCTV camera, showing a client trying to grope her as he exited the store.

Fed up: Kim Tran.
Camera IconFed up: Kim Tran. Credit: Facebook/Facebook

Ms Tran said the text messages she received were taking a toll on her relationship with her partner, and she decided to speak up on social media to save her job and reputation.

“We had a massive argument last week and I told him I was going public. I was nervous because I was worried that they (customers) would make a problem with me. But I thought if I don’t speak it could affect my relationship or my job,” she said.

“What is my daughter going to think when she grows up? I don’t want her to think I am a sex worker or prostitute.”

Ms Tran said she feared if she reported the incidents to the police that people would take revenge on her or her family.

“Sometimes I feel like if I report them they might come back and do something to me,” she said.

Ms Tran said moving to a different location would be difficult because she had built a clientele over two-and-a-half years, and she had customers who supported her business.

I’m getting a little bit scared, and I don’t want to lose this business because I love what I’m doing.

She said many people misunderstood Asian people and often believed the assumptions or stereotypes associated with the culture.

“People go to Asia for a quick trip and be with a girl for a couple nights and pay cheap money. So people think ‘oh, she’s an Asian girl and maybe she does that’, ”she said.

“It has been very rough times here.

“I have so many local people come and support me. I love to cut hair for children, they are so happy when I cut a spiderweb or a design.”

Ms Tran said when she began at the store she felt comfortable working on her own, but now her emotions ran high and she constantly overthought scenarios.

To cope with the sexual harassment, Ms Tran visits a local counseling service and takes sleeping medication.

“I’m getting a little bit scared, and I don’t want to lose this business because I love what I’m doing. So I just ignore it and do what I’m doing,” she said.

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Categories
Sports

Cameron Munster, contract, future, Melbourne Storm, Dolphins, Craig Bellamy, Brandon Smith, Felise Kaufusi

news corp Journalist Phil Rothfield fears that if Cameron Munster leaves the Storm, the club will be in a “serious decline.”

Munster is contracted to the Storm until the end of 2023 but from November 1 rival clubs can officially table the star five-eighth offers.

The Dolphins, who join the competition next year, have made their interest in Munster no secret, however even if they were to land him it won’t be until 2024 with the 27-year-old reiterating his commitment to the Storm in July.

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Munster, nor his manager Braith Anasta, have given any indication of where the Queensland Origin star’s future lays beyond next season.

But Rothfield suggested on NRL 360 that the Storm could not afford losing Munster.

Asked if the Storm are on a decline off the back mixed form this season, Rothfield said: “Depends what happens with Cameron Munster.

“If Munster leaves I think they are definitely in a serious decline. If he stays, I know they’ve lost a couple of forwards but I think they’ll be OK if Cameron stays,” he added.

Fair to criticize Storm for tackling? | 02:04

The Storm will farewell Brandon Smith, Felise Kaufusi and the Bromwich brothers at the end of the season with the former joining the Roosters and the others joining the Dolphins.

fellow news corp Journalist Michael Carayannis acknowledged that losing Kaufusi and the Bromwich brothers shouldn’t hurt the Storm too much.

“I think some of the forwards they’re losing are at the right age to lose them,” he said.

“They’re going to be hard to replace and they’ve given them great service but they’re in the back end of their careers.”

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However NRL 360 host Anasta believes this next chapter “is the biggest test in their history.”

“We just spoke about their success over a long time, this is going to be their biggest challenge and I think they’re a little bit worried about that,” Anasta said.

“Every other year, over the past couple of decades, they’ve had the depth in the club, they’ve had leaders there, they’ve had successful players that can carry them through this.”

Paul Kent added: “And Craig Bellamy only has one more year.”

One game suspension harsh on Ricky? | 03:27

Bellamy signed a five-year extension in 2021 that allows him to decide each season whether he will continue as head coach or move into a coaching director role.

In May Bellamy, who has steered the club to three premierships, committed to coaching again in 2023.

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Categories
Australia

former deputy premier’s fiery testimony to trade inquiry

“Someone you are in relationship with… clearly was aware about the various processes associated with the advertising and the nature of this position,” she said.

The inquiry heard Lugsdin was copied into an email thread on December 9 about advertising the trade job, which was eight days before the public advertisement.

Barilaro insisted he was successful in securing the role through merit but granted parts of the process have since proven to be problematic.

“It hasn’t been as clean as it should have been and I’m the victim out of that, not the perpetrator,” he said.

He also said he wished he never applied for the trade commissioner role after the “personal hell” he has endured in the seven weeks since his appointment and subsequent withdrawal from the role.

“If I knew what I know now, I wish I never had applied,” he said on Monday. “If I knew what I know now, I wouldn’t have walked into this shitshow … because the trauma I’ve gone through over the last six, seven weeks has been significant.”

Barilaro confirmed he had contacted Premier Dominic Perrottet, then-trade minister Stuart Ayres and Treasurer Matt Kean before he applied for the lucrative New York role, but that no concerns were ever raised.

“[Kean] would have told me bluntly if he thought it was going to be an issue, for sure. And he never did,” Barilaro said, adding that Kean was “supportive”.

Barilaro also maintained his push to have trade appointments made by ministers, not the public service, was unrelated to his post-politics plans.

A key point of contention in the drawn-out job saga that has plagued the NSW government has been an urgent submission which Barilaro took to cabinet in September last year to change the commissioner roles from public service decisions to ministerial appointments.

While the transition ultimately never occurred, it had the support of his cabinet colleagues.

Barilaro on Monday rejected any suggestion the cabinet submission was designed to benefit him.

The inquiry heard Barilaro lodged the cabinet submission on September 16, less than a week after giving private evidence to the anti-corruption commission about then-premier Gladys Berejiklian.

On September 24, Barilaro told the Federal Court in a defamation trial that he had decided to resign from politics, before then formally taking the submission to cabinet on September 27.

Berejiklian resigned on October 1 and Barilaro quit three days later.

Labor’s Daniel Mookhey said: “It does look like that cabinet submission was being put forward urgently because you knew that at some point [Berejiklian] was likely to have to resign.”

Barilaro rejected Labor’s suggestion that he knew about Berejiklian’s resignation in advance.

Department secretary Amy Brown gives evidence for the third time.

Department secretary Amy Brown gives evidence for the third time.Credit:Kate Geraghty

“I will absolutely refute that disgusting slur and accusation. You’re making me out to be corrupt,” Barilaro said.

Mookhey said: “If we’re to believe your version of events, Mr Barilaro, we have to basically conclude that you’re one of the luckiest men in NSW politics.” Barilaro disagreed, suggesting he was “the unluckiest man in NSW politics … because of those series of events.”

Barilaro also revealed he contacted Brown, the Investment NSW boss, to recommend former state Labor leader Jodi McKay and former Liberal minister Pru ​​Goward be permitted to belatedly apply for trade commissioner roles.

The pair were interviewed for roles but were not successful.

Barilaro launched a fierce defense of his right as a private citizen to apply for the US trade role, despite being the minister responsible for the positions when he was still in cabinet.

He maintained he was appointed by “apolitical public service personnel”, and denied he had an advantage over others, with former NSW Liberal premier Barry O’Farrell and former federal Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos among his referees. Ayres was also an informal referee for his application of him.

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The trade job scandal has engulfed the Perrottet government and resulted in the forced resignation of Ayres from cabinet over concerns about his role in the saga. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Barilaro said interactions between Ayres and Brown, revealed through the inquiry, had surprised him “as much as it surprised anybody else”.

However, he said he “genuinely believed” Ayres had done nothing to help him secure the role.

Kean is expected to be endorsed as deputy Liberal leader at a party room meeting on Tuesday after Transport Minister David Elliott said he would not contest the position.

An Investment NSW spokesperson said Lugsdin was hired by an external recruitment agency last year and worked in a contract role as part of a contingent workforce. She was reviewed as the most qualified and skilled candidate put forward by four pre-qualified suppliers.

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