An inquiry into the New South Wales Land and Housing Corporation is examining allegations of a deliberate campaign to undermine the integrity of building commissioner David Chandler. Chandler testified that industry figures accused him of corruption and that journalists were offered material aimed at discrediting him.

The inquiry heard that the first instance of the alleged pressure campaign involved an anonymous email sent to Toplace, a property developer, suggesting a payment of $5 million to lawyer William Roberts would lead to the lifting of orders preventing occupancy certificates for Toplace’s projects. Chandler said Toplace executives, including Sharangan Maheswaran, who is identified as a person of interest in the inquiry, described the email as an attempted extortion. Chandler advised the executives to approach the police, but they were uncertain about the email’s origins and continued their own investigation. Chandler documented the incident and reported it to his superior, Emma Hogan, who ordered an internal audit. Toplace reportedly did not cooperate with the departmental investigation, and Chandler was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing.

A second example involved a video showing Chandler speaking to construction workers on site, referencing an “informal list” of unreliable certifiers he had shared with banks. The video, which surfaced in media reports in June 2022, raised questions about whether Chandler had misled a parliamentary committee regarding his role in regulating certifiers. This prompted another departmental investigation led by Hogan. Chandler was again cleared but was recommended to undergo internal training. The video was also brought to the attention of Eleni Petinos, the then minister for fair trading and Chandler’s superior at the time.

During the inquiry, Petinos and her chief of staff, Cassandra Lawry, testified they were shown the video by Chris Spence, chief of staff to the then-planning minister Anthony Roberts, in May 2022. They stated that other discussions about the video occurred in June of that year. Both Petinos and Lawry expressed to the commission that they believed they were being manipulated as part of efforts to destabilize Chandler. Petinos, Lawry, and Spence are not subjects of the investigation.

Petinos had assumed the role of fair trading minister in October 2021 following a cabinet reshuffle under Premier Dominic Perrottet, replacing former minister Kevin Anderson. A tape played in the inquiry featured Nassif stating that Perrottet had approved Petinos’s appointment, describing her as “my girl.” Chandler remarked that during this time, media reports appeared to undermine the minister’s performance, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty around her position.

Chandler resigned in July 2022, citing a lack of confidence from the minister and pressure from developers as factors in his decision. He told the inquiry he wished to avoid being removed amid those doubts. However, he was later reinstated and continued in his role as building commissioner until 2024. The investigation into these matters is ongoing.