Western Sydney Airport official who sought $200k kickback narrowly avoids jail time
Sajish Erasery pleaded guilty to soliciting a corrupt commission after he attempted to invite a bribe from a company vying for a $5 million contract to provide automated parking systems at the soon-to-be completed airport.
The anti-corruption watchdog found the former executive procurement manager had initially proposed he could "get the deal over the line" if he received $250,000, which equated to 5 per cent of the contract's value.
The NACC said in a statement Erasery later reduced this figure to $200,000 and suggested a scheme to repay the business by inflating invoices.
The Australian Federal Police arrested the man in March 2024 after his former employer referred the matter to the commission.
He has been sentenced to two years' jail, which will be served in the community and require him to complete 500 hours of community service.
The airport is due to be complete in 2026.
Erasery is the first person to be sentenced following an investigation initiated by the NACC.
Since the watchdog's inception, there have been convictions in nine other cases which were inherited from the former Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity in July 2023.
The latest of those cases involved Anne McCann, a former Department of Home Affairs immigration officer, who abused power in public office by approving a visa application for her brother-in-law.
Both matters were prosecuted by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
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News.com.au
13 minutes ago
- News.com.au
New campaign for probe into 2012 death of gold prospector Bruce Schuler
Serious concerns linger over the evidence used to convict a husband and wife of murder on a remote Queensland property 13 years ago, as they face dying behind bars. Dianne Wilson-Struber and Stephen Struber were found guilty at trial of killing gold prospector Bruce Schuler, 48, at the couple's giant Cape York leasehold in July 2012. Mr Schuler's body has never been found, but police alleged in a circumstantial case that he was shot dead by the Strubers before they hid his remains. Both Dianne and Stephen maintain they had nothing to do with Mr Schuler's disappearance and their case led to the introduction of 'no body, no parole' laws in the Sunshine State. Retired detective Graeme Crowley, who wrote a book and made a podcast about the investigation and trial, said 140 'discrepancies' he has identified led him to believe the wrong people might be in jail. 'There are there are serious concerns with the investigation, there are serious concerns with the evidence, there are serious concerns with the way the prosecutor presented the evidence,' he told 'So if you accept any or all of those, then likely they didn't commit this murder.' Family of Ms Wilson-Struber in March launched a petition to the Queensland government for a long-awaited inquest to be held into Mr Schuler's disappearance. Petition author Sharon Ferguson wrote that the inquest would enable legal teams currently investigating the case to test evidence brought against her sister, Dianne. But Mr Schuler's widower, Fiona Splitt, has condemned the campaign and says the only mystery is the location of her husband's body. No body, no weapons Mr Schuler disappeared from Palmerville Station, a property twice the size of Singapore, after camping there overnight with his dog Red and three prospecting friends on July 8, 2012. They did not have permission to be on the land, and the Queensland Supreme Court heard Struber had confronted one of the party for trespassing a week earlier. On the morning of July 9, Mr Schuler's companions reported hearing two gunshots ring out 10 to 15 minutes apart coming from the direction he was last seen. They later gave evidence at trial of seeing a car belonging to the Strubers driving toward a key crime scene. After searching for Mr Schuler, his friends reported him missing to police that night. Police arrived the next morning to conduct a wide-ranging land, water and air search, and executed a search warrant at the Schuler's home. Officers discovered three of the Strubers' large array of guns – two .22 calibre rifles and a .357 magnum – were missing, and the couple was arrested for questioning. They were not charged with Mr Schuler's murder until October 30, 2012, without police finding the Mareeba man's remains. 'There's no body, there's no cause of death, the witnesses didn't see Bruce Schuler shot, they didn't see him carried away,' Mr Crowley said. 'All they heard was two gunshots. And from there, the police concluded he was murdered.' The evidence What police did find during the searches of Palmerville Station was tyre marks in cow pats and burnt patches of grass near where Mr Schuler was reportedly last seen. There were two pieces of twine containing his DNA and spent projectiles found in bloodstained glass. Mr Schuler's DNA was also located on a bloodstained leaf, a white film canister, and four partially burnt matches. Forensic officers noted damaged trees and a broken termite mound consistent with recent vehicle contact, which they said showed marks matching Mr Struber's vehicle. Police later established that Wilson-Struber made an anonymous call to the Palmerville Station homestead from a payphone in Mareeba three days after Mr Schuler disappeared. She advised the officer who answered that the police were looking in the wrong spot and that they should be looking '12-15km east'. At trial, Struber stated he and his wife had spent the day of July 9, 2012 repairing a loader and were not in the area where shots were reported. 'We weren't there,' he said. A jury rejected this claim, after deliberating for just four hours, and Justice Jim Henry sentenced them both to life in prison. The couple's subsequent appeals over their convictions also failed. Ms Splitt's campaigning led to the introduction of 'no body, no parole' laws in Queensland in 2017, after more than 8000 people signed her petition. The U-turn One of the key 'discrepancies' Mr Crowley zeroed in on during his research is what witnesses said about a four-wheel-drive seen at the time shots were reported. It was alleged at trial that after first being shot at, Mr Schuler ran up a steep gully toward a secondary crime scene. The Strubers were said to have driven their car from where the first shot was fired 200m away to the second site where the blood and burnt patches were found. 'But all three prospectors told the police after the first shot, the car drove about somewhere between 20 and 50m,' Mr Crowley said. 'When it got the trial, the jury didn't hear that.' Mr Crowley said the prosecutor instead put to the witnesses that the car was seen heading in a northerly direction, toward crime scene two, to which they agreed. He said this 'one of the most important, disturbing, significant discrepancies' in the case. 'Because how do you murder someone … how do you put a body on the trail of the ute … if the ute does not go to the crime scene?' A new campaign Ms Ferguson is firm in her belief that her sister, Wilson-Struber, is innocent. She described her sister as a 'happy, caring, loving person' before the incident that changed their family – who had been in possession of Palmerville since the 1960s – forever. 'She cared about people, animals. She enjoyed her lifestyle on the property because she grew up on that property, and it was just part of her life.' Ms Ferguson's petition calling for an inquest to finally be held into the matter gained more than 5000 signatures, and is due to be introduced to parliament in August. A coroner handed down non-inquest findings in 2016, following the Strubers' convictions and based on police material and evidence heard at trial. 'I was very disappointed with that,' Ms Ferguson said. 'I think if they would have done a proper coronial inquest in the first place, maybe they would've been a lot more answers. 'The ultimate, result for me would be that we find out what really happened to Bruce Schuler, where his body may be. 'So his family can have closure and the right people who committed this crime can be incarcerated for what they did.' Ms Ferguson said a new legal team had been engaged to prepare a fresh court appeal, which could be heard in November. Ms Splitt recently told the Cairns Post that the latest wave of attention on the case had taken a toll on her family. Although she has also wanted an inquest to be held, she rejected the assertion that the petition was also aimed at supporting Bruce. 'The insensitive comments and things that people say on social media and calls for an inquest take an immense mental and emotional toll … and it is hurting my family and Bruce's family,' she said. 'We have trusted the legal process throughout this entire ordeal, and we trust that the authorities will continue their investigation based on the facts, evidence, and proper legal procedure. 'We are confident that the truth will prevail if we continue to focus on the facts and not get sidetracked by distractions.'
News.com.au
21 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Why you could be waiting 21 years to buy in this suburb
It's the suburb where homeowners are staying put for longer than most marriages last. In a city where property is always on the move, Kenmore Hills is bucking the trend, with an average hold time of 21 years for a house — making it the hardest market in the state to break into. About 20km further south in Durack, homeowners are also not willing to part with their houses, with the average hold time sitting at 18 years, according to the latest PropTrack figures. In fact, homeowners in more than 500 suburbs across the state have held on to their properties for more than a decade, and 33 have stayed put for 13.2 years or more — the average period before divorce in Australia. RELATED: Qld's most tightly held markets revealed PropTrack economist Anne Flaherty said property hold periods had been gradually increasing as a long-term trend because of the rising costs associated with selling such as stamp duty. Ms Flaherty said areas with popular schools, parks and shops tended to be high on the list, and many of those were in 'middle-ring' areas — not too close to the city, but well established with accessible transport options. 'The general trend when we see suburbs where the turnaround time is very high, generally these suburbs appeal to people across different life stages,' she said. 'Suburbs that offer access to childcare, schools, good amenity... suburbs that tick all those boxes people will generally stay in longer.' When it comes to units, the highest average hold period is 15 years in the suburbs of Ferny Grove in Brisbane, Frenchville in Rockhampton, and Moffat Beach in Caloundra. 'Some of these areas could be second homes or investment properties, but there's also that affordability piece — people could be living longer in units because they're being priced out of affording a house,' Ms Flaherty said. MORE: Why the Aus property market is stacked against first time buyers Records show about a dozen homes in Kenmore Hills that have been held by the same owners since the 1970s, and very few are currently listed for sale. One property of note in the suburb is a luxurious, five-bedroom house on 2ha of land at 21-23 Gap Creek Rd. Records show the home is owned by Simon Dyer, the CEO of Sealy Posturepedic, and it last sold in 2015 for $1.65m. MORE REAL ESTATE NEWS Mr Dyer and his wife, Julie, clearly love the area as they also own an even grander property on 4.4ha in the neighbouring suburb of Brookfield, which they purchased for $6m last year. Ray White Metro West agent Jo Langstaff said Kenmore Hills was 'a family suburb, first and foremost'. 'People move in there with young families and they stay there because it suits them going through primary and high school,' she said. 'It's a beautiful suburb, let's face it. It's big blocks, big homes, which do accommodate growing families; it takes you from little kids to grown adults, and it's nearby everything.' Ms Langstaff said the main reason people chose to sell was if they were downsizing, but she found most people continued to stay in the suburb long after the kids had left.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Melbourne's smallest shops reveal shocking price per metre rates
Forget Toorak and the towers at the Paris end of Collins St, Melbourne's priciest piece of real estate is probably a 2sq m cupboard in a CBD laneway worth more than $190,000 a metre. It's more than ten times as valuable on a square metre rate than the more than $100m Coonac mansion that smashed the city's house price record earlier this year — and business owners are even taking on the cost of filling in disused elevator shafts to get something similar. But they're facing mixed fortunes with one of the city's most expensive properties sitting empty, despite the 14sq m shopfront at 97 Swanston St being bought at an incredible $184,000 a metre in 2012. Meanwhile an 8sq m kiosk in Northcote plaza has hit the market with a $450,000 price tag that would make it among the most expensive pieces of suburban real estate ever sold in the city. Fitzroys division director James Lockwood's firm handled the sale of what is thought to be the city's priciest property, a 2sq m premises at Shop 3, Causeway House, which set an incredible $190,000 a metre price benchmark in 2013. While such sales have tapered off, Mr Lockwood noted demand was still there for similar premises. A disused lift shaft offered for lease in the depths of Melbourne's lockdowns attracted five interested parties, before ultimately being rented by local sweet tooths Mork Chocolate – who have turned it into a contender for the smallest chocolate shop in the world. 'It went bananas,' Mr Lockwood said. Today, he estimated the 6.5sq m premises would be worth as much as $350,000. 'And if there were 20 of them today in the city, they would lease in a month,' Mr Lockwood said. Mork co-founder Kiril Shaginov has added a floor, a roof and designed a modest shop front to be run out of a window cut into the back wall in an effort to make it a popular destination. 'It was crazy, but in my head it was perfect,' Mr Shaginov said. It now contains a cake fridge, a small coffee machine, two bar fridges and some elevated cupboards for storage — leaving room for two people inside of it, at a maximum. While expensive by a square metre rate, Mr Shaginov said it didn't feel that way for the returns it brought in. 'It's about four years it's been there now and we get a lot of regular trade, and it's an iconic laneway so we get a lot of tourists who do chocolate or a streets of Melbourne tour,' he said. Real Estate Institute of Victoria acting chief executive Jacob Caine said the tiny commercial spaces 'surpass anything in the residential space by a gazillion miles'. 'This is indisputable evidence that great value can come in small packages,' Mr Caine said. 'And that's testament to the value and the opportunity that those kind of micro-retail spaces can offer.' Committee for Melbourne chief executive Scott Veenker said the government needed to do what it could to ensure business conditions continued to encourage 'unique Melbourne icons to thrive'. 'Melbourne as a laneway city is renowned for its hospitality and retail,' Mr Veenker said. 'We want consumers, tourists and businesses to continue to choose Melbourne and Victoria as a destination to visit and a place to do business.' Industry consultant and Property 28 founder Clinton Baxter said the values were historically the highest per square metre along Swanston St, due to the high foot traffic walking — but despite working on some of the highest priced deals per metre in the past, said they were less likely today. 'It's less likely at the moment, after Covid had such a detrimental impact on the CBD and the market,' Mr Baxter said. 'But they will come back. With population growth, that will lead to a return and a catch up.' It's a different story in the suburbs, with a tiny kiosk measuring just 8sq m in the middle of Northcote shopping plaza hitting the market. Despite being just over half the size of a typical Victorian carpark's about 13sq m size, if sold in line with its $450,000 asking price the 97/ 25-143 Separation St would come out to a hefty $56,250 a metre, making it one of the priciest properties ever sold in the suburb. It would even likely eclipse the likely price per metre cost of a $1m bathing box sale in Portsea. Hudson Bond's Josh Schache said the 'unique' listing offered a lot of value, and even at the $450,000 asking price would return about 5.6 per cent a year — better than any high interest rate bank account today. With the rent already locked in for future rises, Mr Schache is expecting strong interest in the property – particularly with the plaza set for a $500m redevelopment. 'So, in terms of an investment opportunity, it stacks up,' he said. 'In terms of what we're seeing at the moment, you'd be pretty happy to get 5 per cent. And with the rent to go up, that will only increase.' In Footscray, Trimson Partners' John Verducci sold a Barkly St premises measuring just 27sq m for $420,000 in 2020 — more than $15,500 a metre. In a further positive sign for the suburban market for minuscule real estate offerings, Mr Verducci estimated it would be worth $450,000-$500,000 today — even factoring in a slowdown from the Covid period. While it suits the travel agent currently located there, he said it was really about the size of a few ATMs. However, it's a tiny store currently home to a Fromagerie across the road that stands out as the most impressive effort to squeeze more retail space into the suburb. It used to be a laneway, before someone bought it and turned it into a three-storey shop on a plot of land measuring barely 20sq m. 'It was surprising to see them pull it off,' Mr Verducci said. 'Who would have thought of sticking three shoeboxes on top of an old laneway and renting them out?'
