Off The Record: Top defence barrister Lindy Powell, QC, bails from SA Parole Board
In this week’s Off the Record, a top defence barrister bails from the Parole Board, a new president for the Property Council and the Adelaide Riverbank stadium becomes a distant dream.
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In this week’s Off the Record, a top defence barrister bails from the SA Parole Board, a new president for the Property Council and the Adelaide Riverbank stadium becomes a distant dream.
Top silk decides to bail
In-demand defence barrister Lindy Powell QC has resigned as deputy presiding member of the Parole Board of SA.
The high-profile silk confirmed to Off The Record that she had reluctantly decided to quit the post just three months after being hand-picked for the role.
“I was really sorry that I had to resign,’’ she said.
“I tried to make it work; maybe I was a little silly to take it on with the other commitments I have.
“The board meets in court hours, so I had to make a decision because I kept cancelling due to court commitments.’’
Powell, one of the state’s most experienced barristers, who has practised law for more than 45 years, was sought out for the role by Correctional Services Minister Corey Wingard.
Powell is the second Parole Board member to quit recently.
Last month,Off the Record reported deputy presiding member Stephen Ey bailed for a completely different reason.
He didn’t feel the $60,000 a year he received matched the hours he was putting in and he wanted his Saturdays back.
He was replaced by respected commercial barrister Nick Floreani, who has apparently taken to the role like the proverbial duck to water.
Such has been his enthusiasm for the task, he attended several meetings as an observer while waiting for his appointment to be approved by Cabinet.
Parole Board chairwoman Frances Nelson QC already has her keen eye on a replacement for Powell, with Wingard expected to take a recommendation to Cabinet soon.
Nelson told Off The Record she was disappointed at Powell’s decision and “would have welcomed the opportunity’’ to work with her.
“She has such a keen mind. However, I appreciate that she really has a significant workload in court, and the parole area in itself requires an allocation of time that is not compatible with her court role,’’ Nelson said. - Nigel Hunt.
Maras hands over the reins after five-year stint
There’s been an outpouring of appreciation for property identity Steve Maras as he hands over the Property Council presidency to Adrian Esplin, from Sarah Constructions.
Maras noted on Linkedin that what was to be a two-year role somehow stretched itself out to almost five years, culminating in last year’s epic land tax battle with the State Government.
“Many lifelong friendships have been made and I will always cherish the opportunity to serve our members, our State on a national level, and all the people who make our industry what it is,’’ said Maras, pictured in pre-social distance times with Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor.
“Passing the baton to Adrian Esplin is a giant step in the right direction as I know he will serve our industry with pride and distinction.
“In these most difficult & hard days ahead, we stand united as one to beat this beast & look ahead to much brighter days.’’
Esplin, who is chief executive at Sarah, will be backed up in the role by vice presidents Nick Emmett, managing director at Emmett Property and Freddy Bartlett, managing director at ICAM.
Stadium is now a pipedream
Little more than seven weeks ago, Premier Steven Marshall put a multipurpose stadium at the heart of the State Government’s agenda for the next two years.
That agenda is now dominated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Yet, rival plans for multipurpose, roofed stadiums in Adelaide’s Riverbank precinct, at Memorial Drive and the city railyards have not been abandoned, just shelved.
The railyards proposal includes a major commercial project.
Some well-informed sources argue the pandemic’s financial devastation means the stadium will not be built for years, if at all.
Others hope that the ambitious arena proposal – to house major concerts, soccer, basketball, tennis and other court sports at a cost of up to $1.3 billion – might find favour in future rounds of infrastructure stimulus.
The argument is that major property construction creates more jobs than roads and rail.
Tour group
When we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, jump-starting the economy will be of paramount importance.
In SA, the need to fire up tourism will be one of the first orders of business. So, new Tourism Minister (and Premier) Steven Marshall has appointed a new adviser to help him out.
Former Restaurant and Catering Australia deputy chief executive Sally Neville, below, has joined the Liberal ranks.
Neville started the role earlier this month and has quit several boards, including the SA Training and Skills Commission and the Food Wine Tourism & Hospitality Skills Council.
In Neville’s previous incarnation with the industry body, which she left last July, she was often at loggerheads with the old Labor government on the topic of penalty rates.
Benched
Tighter social-distancing measures are bringing unexpected challenges for local councils.
Cafes are not permitted to operate outdoor facilities but, as Hyde Park Bakery co-owner Nick Lakes identifies, what about council benches?
After he complied with a police request to remove four outdoor chairs on Tuesday, having already removed tables, he noticed people drinking takeaway coffees while sitting on Unley Council benches along King William Rd.
These were newly installed during the strip’s controversial upgrade.
So, Lakes wrote to Unley Council asking what it would do to ensure appropriate social-distancing measures were followed at its benches.
We, too, asked the council about this issue – admittedly a very tricky one – but they declined to comment.
