Details of former NSW building commissioner David Chandler's resignation have been sent to ICAC. 

Mr Chandler’s resignation letter has been referred to the state's corruption watchdog amid questions over his abrupt exit from the job last month.

There has been speculation that he resigned because of a strained relationship with former fair trading minister Eleni Petinos, who was sacked from the NSW ministry last month over bullying allegations, which she denies.

Ms Petinos met with a property developer linked to former deputy premier John Barilaro earlier this year, before a building ban affecting the developer, Coronation Property, was lifted.

Ms Petinos says the lifting of that ban would have been a decision made by Mr Chandler. Mr Barilaro quit his role as an executive director of Coronation to take up a position as a senior New York trade commissioner for the government, which has turned into a separate scandal. 

Mr Chandler was appointed as the state's first building commissioner by former premier Gladys Berejiklian in 2019 to clean up the building industry.

Premier Dominic Perrottet says Mr Chandler's resignation letter has been referred to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), but would not answer questions on whether the former commissioner's resignation had anything to do with Ms Petinos.

“Do you stand by your statements of yesterday that the sacking of [Ms Petinos] had nothing to do with the resignation of David Chandler?” Opposition Leader Chris Minns asked in parliament.

“Yes,” Mr Perrottet responded.

“I have read the resignation letter from David Chandler to the DCS (Department of Customer Service) Secretary Emma Hogan.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the letter was provided to the ICAC for information.

“I understand the letter is to be provided to the upper house.”

That letter has now been released through parliament, and details problems Mr Chandler had with Ms Petinos.

The letter suggests Mr Chandler raised concerns about what he described as “the advised relationship” between the minister and developer Coronation Property, and that his concerns “crystallised” after he issued a stop-work order on a 790-apartment development in Merrylands owned by Coronation.

According to the letter, Mr Chandler was contacted by both Ms Petinos’s office and Mr Barilaro, who had by that stage left politics, shortly after the order was issued.

“As advised to you I received a call from the minister’s office shortly after a draft order was issued on Coronation’s Merrylands development,” he wrote.

“Shortly after that call, a message was sent to me by John Barilaro who I was advised had recently joined the Coronation board.

“This contact came to me as a message on my personal phone requesting a meeting with me … I subsequently met with Mr Barilaro to answer his questions.”