Dumped Eleni Petinos met with property developer linked to John Barilaro

Dumped minister Eleni ­Petinos met with a property developer linked with John Barilaro twice in the month before a building ban was lifted on one of its properties.

Dumped minister Eleni ­Petinos met with a property developer linked with former deputy John Barilaro twice in the month before a building ban was lifted on one of its properties, including one meeting attended by Mr Barilaro himself.

Labor has now raised ­questions about the purpose of the meeting Mr Barilaro ­attended with the former ­minister, after Ms Petinos and the former deputy premier told The Daily Telegraph the event was a “social” ­function – seemingly odds with how it was described in Ms Petinos’ ministerial diary.

The Daily Telegraph revealed on Tuesday that Mr Barilaro attended a meeting between Ms Petinos and Coronation Property on June 21 – just weeks before a stop-work order was lifted on a $500m property development.

Mr Barilaro was no longer working at the property developer at the time.

Mr Barilaro was employed as Coronation Property’s executive director from February to June, before signing a contract for the scandal-plagued New York trade role appointment with the NSW government on June 9.

Dumped Minister Eleni Petinos. Picture: AAP Image

“I did not meet with the minister during my time with Coronation,” Mr Barilaro said.

He told The Daily Telegraph that the June 21 ­gathering was a “social ­engagement” to “celebrate his appointment” to the New York trade role.

John Barilaro appears before the Public Liability Committee at state parliament on Monday. Picture: John Feder

That’s despite Ms Petinos’ ministerial diary listing the purpose of the meeting as “Fair Trading building related matters”.

It comes after Premier Dominic Perrottet sensationally sacked Ms Petinos from the ministry last week amid claims she was overseeing an “unsafe” workplace, in which she allegedly used the words “retarded” and “stupid” towards an employee.

Ms Petinos denies the ­allegations.

Separately, Ms Petinos has also been drawn into former Building Commissioner David Chandler’s exit last month, with The Saturday Telegraph revealing Mr Chandler cited a “problematic” relationship with the minister in his ­resignation letter.

Eleni Petinos speaks during question time at NSW parliament on Tuesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The parliament is expected to on Wednesday order the government to release the ­resignation letter, in a bid by Labor MPs for it to be made public.

In a statement, a Department of Customer Service spokesman said the former Building Commissioner was “not aware” of the meetings.

Ms Petinos said neither of the meetings with ­Coronation Property she disclosed were related to the stop-work order.

“The issuing and revocation of stop-work orders is a matter for the Building Commissioner, not the minister,” Ms Petinos told The Daily Telegraph. “A formal meeting occ­urred with representatives from Coronation Property Co and MN Builders on 2 June 2022.

“We met in relation to building regulatory matters and I did not take any action in relation to the matters.

“Mr Barilaro was not in ­attendance.”

Ms Petinos said the June 21 meeting with Coronation Property and Mr Barilaro was “social in nature”, and was disclosed “out of an abundance of caution”.

Labor’s better regulation spokeswoman Courtney Houssos demanded Ms Petinos explain why she declared a meeting with Coronation Property, which Mr Barilaro attended, if it was only a ­“social” function.

“The former minister needs to explain what the June 21 meeting was really about. It was either a party to celebrate John Barilaro’s plum new government job, or a meeting to discuss building regulation – it can’t be both,” she said.