On the school’s website, the principal’s message reads: “We are proud of our diverse student population” So proud that he is disciplining one of those students for displaying an item of immense cultural significance In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald the student said he was being punished for “making a political statement in a public school” The Department of Education that ordered the keffiyeh ban and Condell Park administrators who enforced it are making a political statement of their own—that it’s not acceptable to express solidarity with those suffering a genocide even if they’re one’s own family and friends The ban caused outrage amongst students and staff at the school High-schoolers and Uni Students for Palestine called a protest outside Condell Park High on Tuesday a Palestinian year twelve student and protest organiser told Red Flag that she was protesting “to put pressure on the school to demand an apology for the student and let him go to his formal He’s had to endure watching his family back home experience a genocide He deserves to go to his formal wearing a keffiyeh” A year nine student at the rally said to Red Flag: “It feels amazing to be here Everyone posted a photo online to say bring the keffiyehs a year twelve student and activist with High School Students for Palestine who spoke at the rally “This is not the first time institutions are repressing support for Palestine The NSW State Library security removed me for wearing a keffiyeh this year!” School administrators attempted to deter people from protesting ordering that the school would be under lockdown until 6:30pm The affected student made a point of blaming the Department of Education who have no say in this and have been intimidated into silence about a third of all senior school students wore keffiyehs on their bags in protest of the ban More than 50 Palestine supporters joined the rally; as school finished students flooded outside wearing keffiyehs and waving Palestinian flags They held handwritten placards that read: “We all belong” and “Say no to racism” Students riding the school bus chanted out the windows in support But the Department of Education and Condell Park have doubled down The affected student prepared a statement for the rally that said he had been told he could attend the formal only if he did not wear the keffiyeh he was told that he must apologise in order to attend the formal (he refused) Dozens of students who wore keffiyehs to the event in solidarity with the student and Palestine had them confiscated at the door or were refused entry Students made it clear that they will not be intimidated They will continue to wear their keffiyehs with pride and speak up for Palestine Information about working in or operating early childhood education services including outside school hours care information for parents including how to choose a service and supporting your child for their transition to school Skills NSW helps post high school students find courses in vocational training across a wide variety of industries and course providers The NSW Department of Education is committed to employing the best and brightest teachers who can teach and make a difference in NSW public schools NSW Department of Education's information on curriculum taught in NSW schools Aboriginal education and communities & personalised support Condell Park High School has played a pivotal role in the rags-to-riches story of Superbowl winner Public education can be a passport to living the dream – just ask Jordan Mailata During a media interview in the lead-up to the 2025 American Superbowl the Condell Park High School alumni gave a shout out to his former PE teacher for steering him towards the path to a brilliant American football career Offensive tackler Jordan played a pivotal role for his Philadelphia Eagles team in its 40-22 triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Superbowl on Monday Condell Park High School students and staff cheered Jordan and his team on to victory with classroom televisions and big screens set up in the school hall to watch the game The roared every time the Eagles scored a touchdown and were ecstatic when the full-time whistle sounded unlike two years ago when the Chiefs rained on Jordan’s parade and first Superbowl outing From Jordan’s early days at Condell Park High School Mr Frappell said he felt that Jordan “had something special” “He was multi-talented – good at rugby league rugby union and whatever he put his mind to,” Mr Frappell said and I have memories of him running 60 metres with four or five guys on his back “Jordan was also an outstanding singer so he could probably do the half-time (Superbowl) show.” at the White House before Christmas in 2023 ‘This Christmas’ from the Eagles’ Christmas album Director Educational Leadership for Bankstown who was the principal at Condell Park High throughout Jordan’s school years said he “sang like an angel” and was a great musician “He would take his guitar into the playground and just play guitar and sing,” she said “He sang in our performances but so did his brothers so all four boys were quite musically talented.” Ms Mobayed said Jordan was a standout from day one and “like a Pied Piper” at the school he had a great sense of humour and was into everything Mr Frappell believes the genesis for Jordan’s American Football (NFL) career was an invitation he received for an athletics tour to the United States and Canada when he was in Year 11 The school helped him fundraise the money he needed to go on the tour the school and Mr Frapppell came to his aid again when Jordan’s rugby league career hit the crossroads but they weren’t sure if he was going to get a contract and there were some guys that I know who got involved in getting some video together and they got this video to the States and it just snowballed form there,” Mr Frappell said “He got invited over to do some draft-type testing and they loved what they saw; the way he could move for his size.” Beyond the $100 million contract and Superbowl heroics Ms Mobayed believes the Jordan Mailata story serves as an inspiration for the kids of south-western Sydney and beyond “It’s about having ambition and knowing that dreams do come true,” Ms Mobayed said an ordinary public high school where kids try really hard to get somewhere and they see this young boy who went to their school and now look what he’s become ‘Well maybe I can do something with my life It’s the best role modelling I’ve ever seen.” We recognise the Ongoing Custodians of the lands and waterways where we work and live We pay respect to Elders past and present as ongoing teachers of knowledge We strive to ensure every Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander learner in NSW achieves their potential through education In the days since it was revealed that a Sydney high school has taken disciplinary action against a student for wearing a Keffiyeh to his year-12 graduation opposition has been voiced by students and workers The boy of Palestinian descent had worn the traditional scarf at the event marking the end of his studies at Condell Park High School a working-class school in south-western Sydney School officials demanded he take it off and then banned him from his formal The boy’s family has filed a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission demanding an apology and an overturning of the sanction on the boy attending the formal As an International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) statement this week explained while the growing restrictions on the Keffiyeh are unquestionably racist This is part of an attempt to outlaw widespread opposition to the Gaza genocide and the complicity of the Australian government there is a bid to clamp down on anti-war and oppositional sentiment including Australia’s frontline role in the US-led preparations for a disastrous conflict with China Up to 100 people attended a protest outside Condell Park High School yesterday condemning the attack on the boy and demanding that it be overturned A statement was read on behalf of the boy by one of the speakers It explained: “I wanted an apology and to be allowed to attend the formal they said that the school had done nothing wrong “They also said that in order for them to allow me to go to the formal I had to agree not to wear my keffiyeh at the formal … and to drop any and all claims against the school and the department.” The statement is both courageous and highly revealing It demonstrates that what is involved is not simply overzealous school officials but a deliberate policy from government and the state apparatus The minister referred to by the boy would be Prue Car who not only holds the education portfolio the second highest figure in the New South Wales (NSW) Labor government That government has been at the forefront of a clampdown on hostility to Israel’s mass murder of the Palestinians major police mobilisations and even raids targeting anti-genocide activists is collaborating closely with the federal Labor government It has virulently attacked the mass opposition to the historic war crimes The widespread opposition to the attack on the boy has evidently triggered something of a crisis for the NSW authorities The Sydney Morning Herald reported this morning that Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar had offered to meet with the boy and his family An anonymous department spokesperson told the Herald that the education bureaucracy was “working towards a resolution to enable all students to celebrate their achievements at the school formal in a safe If the education authorities told a Jewish student that he could not wear a yarmulke because it might offend others The suggestion that a Palestinian scarf could threaten “safety” and “harmony” is no different Members of the IYSSE participated in the protest calling on students to turn to the working class the genocide and the broader eruption of imperialist militarism They explained that to secure a decent future young people must take up the fight for a socialist alternative to the deepening capitalist barbarism A parent at the school told the IYSSE: “I am a mother of a student at Condell Park High and I witnessed the student go up on stage wearing his heritage on his shoulders and I am a mother that also has Palestinian heritage “My daughter’s here today wearing her great-grandfather’s keffiyeh Schools have been told that they are to be ‘impartial.’ Even at my time working at other schools but they weren’t allowed to have anything Palestinian Other students got up on that stage that day I know last year a student got up holding a Samoan flag “So why has this Palestinian issue happened We’re not being antisemitic; we are not against anyone that’s Jewish I expect my religion to be respected as well There’s a major difference between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism It’s in a population where the majority of people are Arab They take away our right to acknowledge our pain at what’s happening in Palestine Her friend added: “There are so many things at our school that are wrong but to deliberately ban someone for supporting their culture The student was at the school for 5 years and they ban him from the formal over a piece of cloth that has such a deep meaning alerting residents to the nearby attack on civil liberties so we’re really up for multiculturalism and social equality it doesn’t matter what culture you’re from because in the future they might face this We have our own cultural dress that they might want to wear “We thought Labor was more to do with humanity—this is not something we’d expect that Labor would do.” said: “It’s completely crazy—a year 12 kid For this to affect a 17-year-old attending a graduation is absolutely ridiculous “If the keffiyeh is a ‘sign of antisemitism’—it’s very dangerous for a government to say that Whenever they bring ‘antisemitism’ to any formula “People need to be allowed to express their feelings “The protests have gone on for 13 months and nothing’s happened Because the government is very firm on what they stand for.” said: “Every individual has the right to dress and express their thoughts as they please and represent their culture or religion or any identity however they want that student has the right to wear what he feels comfortable in then it becomes a domino effect on everyone else.” Although Sarah “was really surprised that this happened here where it’s 90 percent Middle-Eastern culture,” she agreed that “the working class” was targeted in the crackdown on democratic rights The kid should be allowed to represent his ideas instead of being punished like this fight genocide and war and build the socialist movement we urge students and youth to contact the IYSSE today Get in touch with the IYSSE:Email: iysseaus@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/IYSSEaustraliaTwitter: @IysseAInstagram: @iysse.aus More than 100 students and their families gathered for a snap protest yesterday at Condell Park High School after a student was banned from attending the formal for wearing a keffiyeh The Condell Park High School year 12 student had been banned from his year 12 formal after wearing a Palestinian scarf to his graduation ceremony The pro-Palestinian protesters demanded accountability from the school and called for the student to be allowed to attend the event The decision to ban him from his formal has sparked outrage within the local community, leading to an online petition and accusations of racism on Condell Park High School’s Facebook page. users expressed for action to be taken against the school “Absolutely disgusted that you didn’t allow a Palestinian student wear [sic] his cultural garment for graduation Issue a formal apology to that student and all Arab students” “Shame on the perpetrators of hate and blatant racism at this school.” They also wrote Your teaching means nothing if you don’t teach the truth,” in response to a school post from six days ago about Condell Park’s Year 10 students participating in a Peer Support training session A statement read by one speaker on behalf of the teenage boy at the centre of the incident said the student initially did not want to make a fuss about the issue “I wanted an apology and to be allowed to attend the formal,” the statement said they said that the school had done nothing wrong,” as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald His older sister called Condell Park High School’s treatment of her brother unjust noting that other students wore cultural attire without issue “The keffiyeh is a centuries-old garment worn by my family great-grandparents and many others in the Palestinian community,” she said “No student should be segregated because of their cultural attire,” read a post by SydStudents4Palestine An activist from the protest referred to words shared at a previous Palestinian rally expressing the emotional impact of being Palestinian “Being Palestinian at school means I fall asleep watching live streams of massacres in Gaza seeing anxious mothers search through rubble for their children’s dismembered bodies.” and then I go to school and am expected to shut up because school is an apolitical place Palestine is not to be mentioned on school grounds I’m thinking about how the entire school year in Gaza has been cancelled right now and there is not a single standing university left in Gaza for them to attend “The same system that fills our history curriculum with the Jewish holocaust teaching us that ‘never again’ but turning a blind eye to our burnt children headless babies and the rapidly increasing death toll in Gaza right now,” she said NSW Education Department secretary Murat Dizdar has offered to meet personally with the 17-year-old student The Department of Education released a statement urging schools to remain apolitical in order to promote “safety “We are working towards a resolution to enable all students to celebrate their achievements at the school formal in a safe respectful and harmonious environment,” a spokesperson from the Department of Education said the Condell Park High School student may only be allowed to attend the school formal this week on the condition that he does not wear the keffiyeh at his formal and to drop all claims against the school The year 12 student has also lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission stated “There are state and federal laws in place to protect the community against racial discrimination “It is alarming that taxpayer money is being spent on lawyers to prevent an innocent boy from attending his formal alongside his peers in these circumstances,” Reslan said Condell Park High School’s formal is set to take place on Thursday night administrators at Condell Park High School have banned a student from attending his Year 12 formal this Thursday because he wore a Keffiyeh scarf to a graduation event in September The thirteen-month long Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza has been accompanied by a sweeping assault on anti-war opposition in Australia and the other imperialist countries complicit in the mass murder the attack on a 17-year-old for merely having worn a scarf is particularly vindictive is a working-class area with consistently higher rates of joblessness and poverty than state averages it has a large Middle Eastern and Islamic population and opposition to the Israeli genocide is overwhelming The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) joins the condemnations of this attack from the student his family and working-class youth more broadly as the youth wing of the Socialist Equality Party to demand that this discrimination is overturned We particularly appeal to teachers and staff to dissociate themselves from this attack and take a stand in defence of their students what this incident yet again demonstrates is the need to build a political movement of the working class against the Gaza genocide war and the accompanying attacks on basic democratic rights The account of the youth and his family provided to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) is damning The student of Palestinian descent wore the Keffiyeh to the September graduation ceremony during which they were encouraged to wear cultural garb associated with their national backgrounds “Photographs from the September event show other students wearing other cultural artefacts Staff members allegedly told him that wearing the scarf constituted a prohibited political statement He was barred from posing for graduation pictures in the Keffiyeh with fellow students and senior staff who instructed him twice to remove the item of clothing “I kept explaining that it’s a cultural thing that I wear on special occasions but they kept saying that I was making a political statement in a public school and I can’t do that.”  “They said it wouldn’t be the smartest decision to keep it on and that I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of the higher-ups so close to the end of the year.” demonstrating that the issue is not simply overzealous and censorious school staff Rather than admitting that they had overstepped the mark It was two weeks after the graduation ceremony that the student was called into a senior staff member’s office and told that he had been barred from the formal the student and his family are not backing down They are taking a stand in defence of their own civil liberties Representatives of the family wrote to the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education demanding an apology and that the boy be permitted to attend his formal the family has filed a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission alleging discrimination the boy’s sister correctly stated: “The keffiyeh is a centuries-old garment worn by my family great-grandparents and many others in the Palestinian community should not be punishing children because of their cultural background.” there have been reports of students and staff in public schools in NSW as well as the neighbouring state of Victoria being prohibited from wearing pins and other items expressing solidarity with the Palestinians These attacks come directly from the NSW Labor government in November last year the Department of Education issued a policy statement entitled “Supporting the school community during the current conflict in the Middle East.”  It insisted that schools needed to adopt an “objective,” i.e. While the policy does not explicitly prohibit the wearing of Palestinian symbols it is clear from the actions of the Condell Park High administration and other instances of suppressing opposition to the Israeli slaughter that it has how they have been instructed to interpret it The very notion of “impartiality” concerning genocide is offensive would have been to turn a blind eye to the worst crimes of capitalism have supported the Zionist terror campaign This has been led by the Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the state Labor administrations They have continually vilified opposition to the genocide as antisemitic falsely conflating hostility to the Israeli war crimes with anti-Jewish prejudice This has been the cover for a full-scale offensive aimed at banning anti-war sentiment generally Young people have been a particular target When school students staged strikes against the genocide last year they were denounced by state and federal Labor MPs while the mainstream media provided airtime for Zionist leaders to denounce the children as “human shields” and to threaten menacingly that “all red lines” had been crossed university students established encampments protesting the ongoing mass killings Albanese slandered them as “divisive” and “hateful,” declaring that they did “not have a place” in society That was a green light for attacks by the police and university administrations two students at Western Sydney University were violently arrested by cops on campus merely for protesting the genocide A third student was arrested early in the morning at her house All were fitted up on bogus charges with harsh bail conditions imposed While lying about protests being a threat to safety and community harmony governments are themselves going on the offensive including with xenophobic attacks on Palestinians The push to restrict the wearing of the Keffiyeh is plainly discriminatory If anyone suggested that another item of clothing be barred because it was associated with an ethnic national or religious group they would rightly be condemned as racists which has now expanded into Lebanon and includes US-Israeli attacks on Iran Just as the Labor government supports the mass slaughter of Palestinians so it is preparing for Australia to play a frontline role in a US war against China aimed at asserting the hegemony of the American banks and corporations This is a program that is incompatible with democratic rights It requires the suppression of anti-war sentiment which is growing and will continue to spread as the reality of  a global conflagration between the major powers becomes evident to broader layers of the population The IYSSE states bluntly that what young people face is the breakdown and bankruptcy of the whole capitalist set-up This is a system that offers you nothing but genocide war and the prospect of nuclear catastrophe combined with ever greater social inequality The fight to defend basic civil liberties and end war must be combined with the struggle against capitalism This means mobilising the social and political power of the working class to fight for the socialist transformation of society Socialism means working people democratically controlling the wealth they produce to meet social need not the profits of the banks and the billionaires It means a society of genuine democracy and civil liberties and the peaceful advancement of humanity We urge you to contact the IYSSE to discuss these issues and join this fight for a future A Sydney student has been banned from his year 12 formal after wearing a Palestinian scarf — a keffiyeh — to his graduation ceremony The 17-year-old has lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission after being banned from attending the school’s final celebration at Condell Park High School on November 28 The year 12 student expressed feeling humiliated and distraught after Condell Park staff members instructed him to remove the traditional black-and-white keffiyeh scarf that represents his Palestinian heritage at his graduation the 17-year-old’s older sister had given him a keffiyeh as he waited to receive his certificate so he could honour his Palestinian heritage on this milestone day Despite the longstanding tradition at the south-western Sydney school of encouraging students to wear cultural garments and accessories Photographs from the event show other students wearing cultural items highlighting the hypocrisy of allowing other cultural symbols while banning his Despite the school’s tradition of embracing cultural expression, several teachers accused the boy of making a political statement and demanded he remove the scarf, he told the Sydney Morning Herald Some staff even tried to stop him from posing for photos with classmates but they kept saying that I was making a political statement in a public school and I can’t do that,” the teenager said “They said it wouldn’t be the smartest decision to keep it on and that I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of the higher-ups so close to the end of the year,” he told SMH the teenager was summoned to a senior staff member’s office and told that he would not be allowed to attend his Year 12 formal voiced his frustration over the school’s censorship stating “The experience has ruined my high school memories.” “I’ve been going there since I was in year 7 It’s supposed to be a place where I feel safe His older sister described Condell Park High School’s treatment of her brother as unjust while other students were able to wear cultural attire without issue A post shared by Sarah Streeter (@purelypalestine) The teenager’s solicitor sent a complaint to the Department of Education requesting a formal apology and demanded he be re-invited to attend the formal. His solicitor, Abdullah Reslan of Kings Law Group, stated “There are state and federal laws in place to protect the community against racial discrimination. “It is alarming that taxpayer money is being spent on lawyers to prevent an innocent boy from attending his formal alongside his peers in these circumstances,” Reslan said.  Copyright © Star Observer 2025 . All rights reserved. Website by G Squared Copyright © City Hub 2025 . All rights reserved. Several dozen people, including students, parents and community members, participated in a protest outside Condell Park High School in south-western Sydney last Thursday. They condemned the disciplining of a Palestinian student by school authorities and the state Labor government. The 17-year-old boy had worn a keffiyeh, a scarf associated with the Palestinians, to his graduation in September. School administrators demanded he remove the garment, before banning him from his formal on November 28. The boy and his family protested that ban, including with a letter to the Department of Education and the state Labor Education Minister Prue Car. Their appeals rebuffed, they filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission alleging racial discrimination. When the story was made public in the lead up to the formal, the attack on the student provoked widespread opposition. In an attempt to limit the damage, the Department said the boy could attend the formal, as long as he did not wear a keffiyeh. That was a continuation of the discrimination he had protested against. Several students who arrived at the formal in keffiyehs, expressing their solidarity with the boy, were barred from entering. That response demonstrated again that the issue is not simply the local school administrators. This is a policy dictated by the state Labor government, which has repeatedly cracked down on opposition to the Gaza genocide being voiced in schools, including with several draconian edicts. That is part of a broader attempt to outlaw opposition to the massive Israeli war crimes, which have been supported by the entire political establishment, led by the federal Labor government. The targeting of a youth, merely for wearing a scarf associated with the Palestinians, testifies to nervousness in ruling circles over mass opposition among young people to not only the genocide, but the broader agenda of war, austerity and climate degradation. At the protest, members of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) placed the attack on the student in this broader context. They explained in discussions with participants that the turn to authoritarianism and war was the response of the ruling class to a breakdown of the capitalist system, posing the need to build a socialist movement of the working class. IYSSE members received comments from some of those in attendance. Saheer Deeb, a former teacher at the school, said that the authorities were “mixing politics with the culture. It’s got nothing to do with the students at all. Students have got the right to celebrate what they have achieved. As a parent and as a grandmother, as a local I have a voice to raise against this government. This is unacceptable. They must apologise to the boy.” When it was pointed out to Saheer that students around the world are being victimised for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza, she said, “This is unjust. This is not democracy. We are not in a democracy anymore. “The student is already in pain. He is already distressed because of what’s happening back home in Palestine, and what’s happening here. And with these exams, I think we should not put any more pressure on these students. “It should go further than an apology. The government should stop the genocide, should not fund any more weapons. They have to boycott all exports to Israel.” A student commented, “I think it’s really unnecessary for them to stop the wearing of the keffiyeh as students from other backgrounds are allowed to wear their cultural accessories and it’s going to break all our hearts because we all have a soft spot for Palestine. “There’s genocide going on over there, and we can’t embrace our culture and wear accessories associated with our background. The government should give us the right to be able to talk about Palestine, what’s going on over there. We always do one minute’s silence for something that happened years and years ago and we can’t talk about what’s going on right now. It breaks my heart. “We have all been told we are not allowed to talk about Palestine and not bring up war, even though it’s happening right now. And it’s a genocide. Some teachers want to talk about it, but the Department of Education does not allow them to and they don’t want to lose their jobs.” A teacher at another school who lives nearby said, “Every student has the right to exercise their freedom to be able to express their feelings. It is disheartening to know that they are being censored when they have families that are being massacred in Gaza. And instead of providing support this is what the authorities do! “These are the people who are supposed to be looking after these students. The keffiyeh is not a political item. It has a lot of sentimental and cultural value and traces back to their heritage. So to deprive someone of wearing that to their formal, that is a milestone for that student at a school that is supposed to embrace everyone and they are denied that privilege. “I heard that some of his fellow students, in solidarity with him, to support him, wanted to wear keffiyehs to the formal but they were denied the opportunity to support him. I mean talk about everyone being there for one another, and showing empathy to the student. And the school that is supposed to be taking care of all these students, it’s shameful. “An apology to the student is a bare minimum. No one should be asking, the school should be offering an unconditional apology without even a second thought. I want to go up and apologise, why wouldn’t you? That’s the least we can do to show some compassion. The Department of Education as a whole denied that student the right to go to the event and everyone here in an executive position, who denied that student the right, should be apologising in person. Another pupil stated: “Even during exams, we’re not allowed to wear the keffiyeh. We are told ‘it’s not racist, it’s just the uniform policy.’ I definitely disagree with everything they’re saying. Nothing’s changed, they haven’t apologised and they will never apologise.” Play Duration: 3 minutes 9 seconds3m 9sPresented by Australian Jordan Mailata is regarded as one of the best offensive tackles in American Football Going into today's Super Bowl in New Orleans Mailata's Phildelphia Eagles face favourites the Kansas City Chiefs It's a moment that's been a long time in the making Featured: Superbowl viewers Lawrence Karam Jordan Mailata playing for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.(Wikimedia Commons: All-Pro Reels/CC BY-SA 2.0) TranscriptAndy Park: From Bankstown to the big time, Australian Jordan Mailata is regarded as one of the best offensive tackles in American football. Going into today's Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans, Mailata's Philadelphia Eagles face favourites the Kansas City Chiefs. It's a moment that's been a long time in the making, as Luke Radford reports. Luke Radford: Around the country, thousands of Australians are gathered to watch one of the world's biggest games, the Super Bowl. Superbowl viewers: The Super Bowl is probably one of the best days of the year. It's a great Monday. The beat's not going to work. Luke Radford: This year, they've got one of their own to cheer on. Commentator: Mailata was right in there with Marcus Davenport. They went down to the deck at one point. Commentator: As a kid, Bankstown boy Jordan Mailata dreamed of being a rugby league star, and it was obvious to his coaches that he had talent. One of them was Lawrence Karam from the Bankstown Bulls. Lawrence Karam: He was tall from day dot. You hear jokes of his parents used to walk around with his birth certificate just to prove. He was just an imposing figure. But once you get to know him, he was like, he's nothing more than just one of the boys. Luke Radford: Mailata was signed by the South Sydney Rabbitohs under-20 team and played a handful of games before his rugby dream hit a dead end. At 166 kilograms and over two metres tall, he was just too big to play a fast-moving game like rugby. Lawrence Karam recounts what happened next. Lawrence Karam: I think it was disappointing. And I don't think even NFL was on his radar. And I think his management team took him over to do an NFL pathway program. It's a six-week program. It's sort of just showcasing your abilities. And he obviously caught the eye of a few selectors, but none other than the Philadelphia Eagles who signed him on on a training contract. Luke Radford: Picked at 233rd in the 2018 NFL Draft, Mailata, who had barely even watched an NFL game, quickly became an on-field monster. Dubbed the human wrecking ball, Mailata is rated as one of the best offensive tackles in the competition. His former principal at Condal Park High School, Susie Mobayed, says it's something he's well suited to. Susie Mobayed: It was his whole demeanour. Even when he stood and talked to the kids, he would hunch down because he's humble. He's such a humble kid as a person. But I've described him a number of times as the Pied Piper because all these kids would flock to him. He cared about kids. He cared about what people did. Luke Radford: It's this attitude, as well as his on-field success, that Susie Mourbayed says makes Jordan Mailata an inspiration to his community. Susie Mobayed: These young boys who aspire to do something with their lives. And it's really difficult. We're in southwestern Sydney, you know, it's a low socioeconomic area. We're just an ordinary public high school where kids just try really hard to get somewhere. And then they can see this young boy who went to their school and now look what he's become. So he's become a role model for them. Luke Radford: And while the focus will be on his performance, Jordan Mailata believes this pursuit of the ultimate victory has very much been a team effort. Jordan Mailata: When you have a great team, coach always said it, you can't be great without the greatness of others. That's kind of the message that we embodied all year round. Andy Park: Australian NFL player Jordan Mailata ending that report by Luke Radford. Download the ABC listen app to hear more of your favourite podcasts A Sydney high school student has filed a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission after being banned from attending his Year 12 formal for wearing a keffiyeh a traditional Palestinian scarf during his graduation ceremony scheduled for Thursday 28 November 2024 The incident at Condell Park High School unfolded when staff claimed the keffiyeh was a political statement and asked the 17-year-old to remove it despite his explanation that it symbolized his Palestinian heritage which has a tradition of encouraging students to wear culturally significant garments allowed other students to wear items like feathered cloaks and garlands without issue said staff repeatedly demanded he remove the scarf and prevented him from participating in group photographs he was informed that he was barred from attending his formal due to his decision to wear the garment “This experience has ruined my high school memories,” the student said “It’s supposed to be a place where I feel safe and not judged for who I am criticized the school’s actions as discriminatory noting that the keffiyeh is a centuries-old cultural garment worn by their family for generations should not be punishing children because of their cultural background,” she said The NSW Department of Education stated that schools are required to remain apolitical to ensure events are inclusive and safe for all students critics argue that banning cultural symbols like the keffiyeh disproportionately targets Palestinian students The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) expressed its dismay describing the incident as “a blatant contradiction of Australia’s values of diversity and inclusion.” Speaking about the issue on Friday 22 November AFIC President Dr Rateb Jneid called for an immediate apology from the school “It is unconscionable that signs of Palestinian culture and identity are being suppressed here in Australia.” The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) in a statement issued on Wednesday 27 November 2024 condemned the incident emphasising that silencing cultural symbols like the keffiyeh violates the principles of equity and inclusivity within the education system ANIC called on schools to effectively implement anti-racism policies to foster culturally safe environments for all students a lecturer at the Australian National University highlighted the dual significance of the keffiyeh “Palestinians wear it during important celebrations like graduations While it gained political symbolism in the 1960s it remains a deeply cultural attire representing who they are.” Greens MLC Abigail Boyd echoed concerns about erasure of cultural identity “This is trying to erase a person’s culture while they let other students express theirs It sends a message to kids that some places are not OK to come from.” have urged the NSW Department of Education to reverse the school’s decision and ensure similar incidents are not repeated in the future Waseem Ahmad is currently pursuing his Ph.D at the Centre of Catalysis and Clean Energy and is based in Sydney and website in this browser for the next time I comment Australasian Muslim Times, AMUST is a community newspaper for all presenting news and views using multimedia technologies. Read more Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time A Sydney teenager has filed a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission after he was banned from attending his coming school formal because he wore a scarf with the keffiyeh pattern to his graduation ceremony In an incident that comes amid heightened community tension over the war in Gaza the year 12 student said he was humiliated and distraught after several staff members at Condell Park High School demanded that he remove the traditional black-and-white patterned scarf that symbolises his Palestinian heritage at the ceremony held in the school hall The 17-year-old has filed a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission after being banned from his school formal next week.Credit: Edwina Pickles This was despite the south-western Sydney school’s long-standing custom of encouraging students to wear garments and accessories of cultural significance Photographs from the September event show other students wearing other cultural artefacts It also follows concerns that public schools could expose themselves to legal risk if they instituted bans on Palestinian students or staff wearing keffiyehs after the Education Department advised them to maintain neutrality on Israel and Gaza said staff members accused him of making a political statement and prevented him from posing with friends and a senior staff member for a group photograph while he wore his scarf The 17-year-old wearing the scarf at his graduation ceremony in September The 17-year-old said his older sister handed him the garment as he waited to receive his graduation certificate so he could wear the symbol of his Palestinian heritage on the most important day of his schooling life But when the teenager returned to his seat staff members approached him twice and told him to hand over his scarf ‘The experience has ruined my high school memories another staff member refused to pose for a group photograph with the teenager if he did not remove the scarf Parents of other students asked staff members to let him wear the scarf and his own family members repeatedly told staff it was not a political statement but a cultural symbol to honour his Palestinian roots the teenager was called to a senior staff member’s office and told that he was not permitted to attend his year 12 formal – to be held next Thursday November 28 – as a result of his decision to wear the scarf “The experience has ruined my high school memories,” the student said said the school’s treatment of her brother was outrageous given that other students wore culturally significant garments without incident A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education said its rules were clear about keeping school events apolitical so all students staff and community members feel safe and included “The school will continue to work with the family and their legal representatives to resolve this matter,” they said The teenager’s lawyer sent a complaint to the Department of Education requesting a formal apology and that he could attend the formal and the department responded via its lawyers declined to comment on the details of the complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission but said: “There are state and federal laws in place to protect the community against racial discrimination “Schools should be an exemplar of these standards and a safe place for children lecturer at the Australian National University said it was cultural attire worn for thousands of years national holidays and family celebrations,” Iqtait said “It also gained political symbolic standing from the 1960s onwards as distinctively symbolising Palestinian liberation but this does not reduce the fact that it also continues to be cultural attire Greens MLC Abigail Boyd said her office had received multiple accounts of teachers and students being banned from wearing the keffiyeh or Palestinian flag patches on their bags due to a Department of Education communique titled “Supporting the school community during the current conflict in the Middle East” sent to schools in November 2023 which advised schools to reflect “a neutral position” Boyd’s office had warned schools that this interpretation of the department’s guidance risked legal challenges “This is trying to erase a person’s culture while they let other students express theirs,” Boyd said “It sends a message to kids that some places are not OK to come from.” Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car and NSW Department of Education secretary Murat Dizdar acknowledged that the guidance needed to be reviewed In November 2023, Car criticised teachers for displaying pro-Palestinian signs and wearing keffiyeh scarves at public schools saying classrooms “are not places for political activism” Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter This was despite the south-western Sydney school\\u2019s long-standing custom of encouraging students to wear garments and accessories of cultural significance The war in Gaza has triggered deep ruptures within local institutions sustained protests in major cities and disturbing \\u201CI kept explaining that it\\u2019s a cultural thing that I wear on special occasions but they kept saying that I was making a political statement in a public school and I can\\u2019t do that,\\u201D the teenager said \\u201CThey said it wouldn\\u2019t be the smartest decision to keep it on and that I wouldn\\u2019t want to get on the wrong side of the higher-ups so close to the end of the year.\\u201D the teenager was called to a senior staff member\\u2019s office and told that he was not permitted to attend his year 12 formal \\u2013 to be held next Thursday November 28 \\u2013 as a result of his decision to wear the scarf \\u201CThe experience has ruined my high school memories,\\u201D the student said \\u201CI\\u2019ve been going there since I was in year 7 It\\u2019s supposed to be a place where I feel safe said the school\\u2019s treatment of her brother was outrageous \\u201CThe keffiyeh is a centuries-old garment worn by my family great-grandparents and many others in the Palestinian community,\\u201D she said should not be punishing children because of their cultural background.\\u201D \\u201CThe school will continue to work with the family and their legal representatives to resolve this matter,\\u201D they said The teenager\\u2019s lawyer sent a complaint to the Department of Education requesting a formal apology and that he could attend the formal but said: \\u201CThere are state and federal laws in place to protect the community against racial discrimination \\u201CSchools should be an exemplar of these standards and a safe place for children \\u201CIt is alarming that taxpayer money is being spent on lawyers to prevent an innocent boy from attending his formal alongside his peers in these circumstances,\\u201D Reslan said \\u201CPalestinians wear it during important celebrations like graduations national holidays and family celebrations,\\u201D Iqtait said \\u201CIt also gained political symbolic standing from the 1960s onwards as distinctively symbolising Palestinian liberation Greens MLC Abigail Boyd said her office had received multiple accounts of teachers and students being banned from wearing the keffiyeh or Palestinian flag patches on their bags due to a Department of Education communique titled \\u201CSupporting the school community during the current conflict in the Middle East\\u201D sent to schools in November 2023 which advised schools to reflect \\u201Ca neutral position\\u201D Boyd\\u2019s office had warned schools that this interpretation of the department\\u2019s guidance risked legal challenges \\u201CThis is trying to erase a person\\u2019s culture while they let other students express theirs,\\u201D Boyd said \\u201CIt sends a message to kids that some places are not OK to come from.\\u201D Car pro-Palestinian signs and wearing keffiyeh scarves at public schools saying classrooms \\u201Care not places for political activism\\u201D Start the day with a summary of the day\\u2019s most important and interesting stories \\u2018The experience has ruined my high school memories Former Condell Park High School student Jordan Mailata will become just the third Australian to feature in the Super Bowl Condell Park High students and staff will be decked out in midnight green silver and white on Monday as former student Jordan Mailata prepares for the biggest game of his life Jordan and his Philadelphia Eagles teammates will play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII The 25-year-old becomes just the third Australian to appear in a Super Bowl and could become only the second person from this country to win one Condell Park High School Principal Susie Mobayed said the school was getting right behind Jordan and the Eagles in their pursuit of the Super Bowl crown Ms Mobayed said Jordan was a natural leader “Jordan was such a role model when he was at school – someone kids would look up to and flock to,” she said Condell Park High School Head Teacher PE Kieren Frappell said the former South Sydney rugby league player was a rare sporting talent We always knew he would do something great,” he said “I can remember when he was playing league at school he’d run 60 metres with four kids hanging off him “He still holds the rowing machine record at our gym has been able to get within 10 seconds of it.” Mr Frappell said he was also a talented track and field athlete he made it all the way to state athletics for shot put and ended up finishing second,” he said he was invited on an athletics tour of Canada and the US But he was equally well known and loved for his musical abilities at school Music teacher Sandra Kessegian said Jordan was a gifted musician and performer who loved the limelight he had lovely tenor vocals and a good falsetto range “He wasn’t afraid to share his musical talents with the other kids either Super Bowl LVII kicks off at 10.30am Australian Eastern Standard Time and will be broadcast live on free to air TV in Australia on Channel 7 and 7 Mate yet so far for Jordan Mailata and his Philadelphia Eagles teammates beaten in heartbreaking fashion by the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII With the scores locked at 35-all and less than 10 seconds to play Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker stepped up to slot a 27-yard field goal for his team to win the title Mailata played the game of his life for the Eagles helping his quaterback Jalen Hurts set a new record of three rushing touchdowns for a quarterback in the Super Bowl Final score Kansas City Chiefs 38 defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 35 For information directly relating to bushfires please call the Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737 or visit the NSW Rural Fire Service Website here. [external link] We responded to over 150,000 incidents in 2023-24 The incidents displayed below are note-worthy incidents that have been published as media releases or tweets Details about incidents may change and should not be used as emergency information and/or advice North Parramatta | The fire at Dunlop Street, North Parramatta has been contained but is expected to smoulder through the morning. Because there may be smoke in the area, residents and businesses in the vicinity are advised to keep doors, windows, and vents closed. View on X [external link] Fire and Rescue NSW acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders A student who wore a keffiyeh-patterned scarf to his graduation ceremony could be permitted to attend his school formal this week on the condition he does not wear the garment and drops claims against his high school NSW Education Department secretary Murat Dizdar has offered to meet the 17-year-old Condell Park High School student and said he is working towards a resolution to allow all students to attend the formal A pro-Palestine rally outside Condell Park High School after a student was banned from the school formal for wearing a keffiyeh at his graduation The decision to ban the student from the formal after he wore the scarf at his graduation sparked anger from the local community an online petition and allegations of racism on the school’s Facebook page The student also lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission parents and pro-Palestinian protesters held a rally outside of Condell Park High School in Sydney’s south-west on Tuesday afternoon chanting the names of school leaders in anger at the decision A statement read out by one speaker on behalf of the teenage boy at the centre of the incident said the student did not initially wish to make a fuss about the issue The rally outside the school.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer Condell Park High School has students from a variety of backgrounds An Education Department spokesperson acknowledged conflict in the Middle East had made it a difficult time for school communities “While we recognise it can be challenging for school communities as conflict in the Middle East continues it is important schools remain neutral places promoting safety “NSW Department of Education secretary Murat Dizdar has offered to meet with the family of the student The 17-year-old has filed a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission.Credit: Edwina Pickles Earlier this year Education Minister Prue Car said regardless of whether someone was a student or staff member or family member in the public school system they had “a right to feel safe and belong in the public school system” “Our intention to ensure that public schools are neutral and that everyone can belong is one we take very seriously,” she said It is unclear if the keffiyeh is explicitly banned in NSW Department of Education schools The department’s media unit did not answer questions about the status of the item The rally began at 2.30pm and police arrived and supervised as teachers left the school about 3.30pm said she was allowed to wear one at her school in the past 12 months “I understand it may now look like a political statement because apparently now expressing you’re Palestinian means you’re political That doesn’t mean the right for us to wear our culture and be prideful in our culture and have pride in our identity should not be allowed.” The Department of Education last week issued a statement saying there was a need to keep school events apolitical so all students an online petition and allegations of racism on the school\\u2019s Facebook page parents and pro-Palestinian protesters held a rally outside of Condell Park High School in Sydney\\u2019s south-west on Tuesday afternoon \\u201CI wanted an apology and to be allowed to attend the formal,\\u201D the statement said \\u201CThis request was sent to the school in a letter from the department\\u2019s lawyers \\u201CThey also said that in order for them to allow me to go to the formal I had to agree not to wear my keffiyeh at the formal \\u2026 and to drop any and all claims against the school and the department.\\u201D \\u201CWhile we recognise it can be challenging for school communities as conflict in the Middle East continues \\u201CNSW Department of Education secretary Murat Dizdar has offered to meet with the family of the student \\u201CWe are working towards a resolution to enable all students to celebrate their achievements at the school formal in a safe respectful and harmonious environment.\\u201D they had \\u201Ca right to feel safe and belong in the public school system\\u201D \\u201COur intention to ensure that public schools are neutral and that everyone can belong is one we take very seriously,\\u201D she said The department\\u2019s media unit did not answer questions about the status of the item \\u201CI understand it may now look like a political statement because apparently now expressing you\\u2019re Palestinian means you\\u2019re political That doesn\\u2019t mean the right for us to wear our culture and be prideful in our culture and have pride in our identity should not be allowed.\\u201D but it was the voice of Condell Park High alumnus Jordan Mailata that scored him time with the US President To say 2023 was a big year for Bankstown’s Jordan Mailata is an understatement To the delight of Condell Park High School, their famous alumnus earlier this year became just the third Australian to play in the United States’ National Football League’s Super Bowl Now to top that off the 25-year-old Samoan Australian has been the guest of US President Joe Biden the Philadelphia Eagles Offensive tackle was invited to the White House to sing as a surprise for the President’s wife Jill Biden President Biden asked the 25-year-old Australian to sing “This Christmas” from the team’s recently released album Mailata recorded the song with legendary soul singer Patti LaBelle admitting he was initially unable to sing from nerves when they began the duet Mailata told US media his visit to the White House was a “surreal moment” “It was a fun time and a hell of an opportunity to sing in the White House “To be able to spend time with the President and First Lady was awesome as well and definitely a surreal moment and one I will remember forever.” Mailata’s singing prowess has been on display for the Eagles for the past two years after the team released a charity Christmas album in 2022 his musical talent is no surprise to former teachers who always thought it Ahead of his appearance in the 2023 Super Bowl Condell Park High music teacher Sandra Kessegian said Mailata was a gifted musician who loved the limelight he had lovely tenor vocals and a good falsetto range,” she said That falsetto can be heard in action on the Christmas album Mailata was joined on the Washington visit by fellow offensive tackle Lane Johnson and former Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin who is the team’s director of player development As part of his 45 minutes with the First Lady and President Biden Mailata was given a tour of the Oval Office He told US media that Dr Biden was more knowledgeable about football than the President The former rugby league player said he remained amazed at how far he had come in the just six years since he left Australia to take his chance in the US football code “If you told me a couple of years ago that I’d even be a starter in the NFL I’d probably have laughed in your face,” he told US media “But if you told me that I was going to be singing in the White House and then having the opportunity to spend time with the president of the United States and the First Lady The company which built a house that collapsed on Friday has described the incident as “deeply distressing” and vowed to co-operate with investigators while supporting the occupants The family narrowly escaped injury as their home collapsed in Sydney’s south-west during the early hours of the morning Emergency crews were called to a house on Norman Street in Condell Park about 4.30am after reports a house had suffered significant structural damage Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said crews arrived to find “massive damage” to the home The family of three was able to escape and suffered no injuries three-bathroom house was built last year and was listed for rent in November 2022 at $1150 per week The family with a young child who were in the house at the time of the collapse are tenants The property was built by Hemisphere Construction and a spokesperson for the company said the safety of staff home owners and tenants were its first priority “We have maintained an excellent track record in construction and this incident is deeply distressing to our staff “We will work with the relevant authorities to undertake an investigation into what has occurred We have been in contact with the home owner and family to understand how we can support them during this difficult time including to offer temporary accommodation.” The family told Today that the whole family was sleeping in the room above the garage when they woke up to the ceiling beginning to collapse They said they felt the house rumbling before they whisked their child and three pets to safety A real estate agent has advertised the home as setting “a new benchmark for the most superior products available for rent in south-western Sydney” aimed at “the elite that value luxury cars and brands” including a walk-in wardrobe and en-suite in the master; double garage; three bathrooms; in-ground swimming pool with water fountains; and stone kitchen-tops with designer appliances NSW Building and Better Regulation Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said Fair Trading and emergency services would be investigating the cause of the house collapse I am just glad no one is hurt and that the family has been able to find temporary accommodation,” he said Chanthivong said appropriate action would be taken once the investigation was completed “The report will look at the whole building site and what caused it [to collapse] I don’t want to pre-empt the findings of the investigation,” he said Fire and Rescue NSW set up an exclusion zone but there was nothing we could do to make it safe for the time being,” Dewberry said “There was still some movement happening when we left They’ve just got to get the right people in now to strip it out Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here. The company which built a house that collapsed on Friday has described the incident as \\u201Cdeeply distressing\\u201D and vowed to co-operate with investigators while supporting the occupants. The family narrowly escaped injury as their home collapsed in Sydney\\u2019s south-west during the early hours of the morning. Emergency crews were called to a house on Norman Street in Condell Park about 4.30am after reports a house had suffered significant structural damage. Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said crews arrived to find \\u201Cmassive damage\\u201D to the home, which suddenly collapsed. The family of three was able to escape and suffered no injuries, he said. \\u201CIt\\u2019s crazy,\\u201D he said. \\u201C[The family] is OK, thank goodness. It\\u2019s so lucky. We don\\u2019t know why it\\u2019s happened, but obviously, something\\u2019s gone pear-shaped.\\u201D The five-bedroom, three-bathroom house was built last year and was listed for rent in November 2022 at $1150 per week. The family with a young child who were in the house at the time of the collapse are tenants. The property was built by Hemisphere Construction, and a spokesperson for the company said the safety of staff, contractors, home owners and tenants were its first priority. \\u201CWe have maintained an excellent track record in construction and this incident is deeply distressing to our staff, contractors and family,\\u201D they said. \\u201CWe will work with the relevant authorities to undertake an investigation into what has occurred. We have been in contact with the home owner and family to understand how we can support them during this difficult time, including to offer temporary accommodation.\\u201D The family told Today that the whole family was sleeping in the room above the garage when they woke up to the ceiling beginning to collapse. They said they felt the house rumbling before they whisked their child and three pets to safety. A real estate agent has advertised the home as setting \\u201Ca new benchmark for the most superior products available for rent in south-western Sydney\\u201D. The property, aimed at \\u201Cthe elite that value luxury cars and brands\\u201D, boasts five bedrooms, including a walk-in wardrobe and en-suite in the master; double garage; three bathrooms; in-ground swimming pool with water fountains; and stone kitchen-tops with designer appliances. NSW Building and Better Regulation Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said Fair Trading and emergency services would be investigating the cause of the house collapse. \\u201CWhat a tragic set of circumstances. I am just glad no one is hurt and that the family has been able to find temporary accommodation,\\u201D he said. Chanthivong said appropriate action would be taken once the investigation was completed. \\u201CThe report will look at the whole building site and what caused it [to collapse]. I don\\u2019t want to pre-empt the findings of the investigation,\\u201D he said. Fire and Rescue NSW set up an exclusion zone, but were unable to do anything more. \\u201CNormally we can do something, but there was nothing we could do to make it safe for the time being,\\u201D Dewberry said. \\u201CThere was still some movement happening when we left. They\\u2019ve just got to get the right people in now to strip it out. There wasn\\u2019t much we could do.\\u201D Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Watch 28sVision shows debris and damaged cars after a newly constructed home collapsed in Sydney's south west in the early hours of the Easter long weekend. Disasters, Accidents and Emergency Incidents CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) The owner of a Southern Highlands property who illegally removed five hectares of native trees is the wife of the convicted Sydney builder responsible for last year’s collapsed Condell Park home and he is now being prosecuted for misleading authorities about 10 tonnes of asbestos-riddled construction waste found on the rural site The Herald can reveal Chaza Khouzame, who was last week fined $135,000 for felling hundreds of trees in the Southern Highlands, is married to George Khouzame, a deregistered builder who in May pleaded guilty to nine counts of fraud and using unlicensed contractors Those charges occurred following a government investigation into his company, Hemisphere Constructions, after the shock collapse of a Condell Park home he built the couple is at the centre of a lengthy Environmental Protection Authority investigation into the Canyonleigh property registered in Chaza Khouzame’s name which the EPA alleges was used to store more than 10 tonnes of bricks with some materials found to contain deadly asbestos The EPA was informed about “alleged transportation and land application of fill material” to the Canyonleigh site and sent officers to investigate in November 2022 the agency said in a clean-up notice issued to Mrs Khouzame the following month EPA officers observed waste which had been applied to land EPA officers observed in excess of 10 tonnes of material applied on areas that are cleared of vegetation,” the notice said The cleared land at Canyonleigh in the Southern Highlands Each pin point represents where the EPA and a certifier located asbestos during four different test periods from November 2022 to November 2023.Credit: Environmental Protection Authority “There were at least two differing types of waste across the different areas of the premises … Within the waste EPA officers collected six fragments of suspected asbestos containing material.” The EPA did not receive a report about asbestos contamination that it demanded from Mrs Khouzame in first series of notices and It issued an extension to Mrs Khouzame in August demanding the waste be removed by the end of September the EPA discovered more asbestos and she was told to remove that waste by February who purchased the land in 2020 for $400,000 Hemisphere Constructions – of which Mr Khouzame was the sole director before it had its building licence cancelled a month after the Condell Park home collapsed and before the business was placed into administration in July 2023 – was on the site during the period the trees were removed A temporary building seen on the Canyonleigh site that is branded with the Hemisphere Constructions logo A demountable shed with the Hemisphere Constructions logo was on the site in July 2021 Bulldozers and other heavy machinery were brought in Hemisphere Constructions was corresponding with at least one local resident regarding possible cracking of bricks as a result of the works One local resident – who wished to remain anonymous citing privacy concerns – said they had seen the Khouzames on the 40-hectare property on many weekends The resident said after the trees were cleared and building material was allegedly dumped the wind blew dust from the property across neighbouring land Residents contacted the EPA over concerns their homes were being contaminated Mrs Khouzame was found guilty of the land clearing last week but she has not faced any charges for the waste that appeared on the property the EPA has launched legal action against Mr Khouzame accusing him of being an accessory to the commission of offences carried out by his company and of supplying false or misleading information about the waste on the site An EPA spokesperson said Mr Khouzame “allegedly provided false information to the EPA during the EPA’s investigation for an alleged pollution incident at a property located at Canyonleigh in the Southern Highlands” “The EPA cannot provide any further comment while the matter is before the Court,” they said and comes just weeks after Mr Khouzame pleaded guilty to three charges of publishing misleading material to obtain financial advantage two charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception three charges of making false or misleading statements in an insurance application and one charge of engaging an unlicensed contractor George Khouzame was responsible for the Condell Park home that collapsed shortly after being built.Credit: Kate Geraghty / Supplied When he rang the Herald from a private number last month “It was literally an honest mistake from my staff in the office,” he said An email seen by the Herald also reveals that Mrs Khouzame at least once acted on behalf of Hemisphere Constructions sending invoices from an email address linked to the company Mrs Khouzame provided a psychological report describing her as a “cooperative though depressed and anxious woman” with a “complex clinical and developmental history which was particularly acute in the lead up to her alleged offending conduct” She also submitted a letter from her accountant that described “dire financial circumstances” as a result of her “prolonged period of unemployment” that had left her “grappling with substantial challenges in meeting her financial obligations” Mrs Khouzame said she and her husband were having marital difficulties limiting the financial support she was receiving at the time The court was told she was paying for school fees for the couple’s children and had used her own savings to pay legal fees She told the court she was behind on repayments of the couple’s South Hurstville home and that she used money from the sale of the Canyonleigh property to catch up on her home loan The judgment said that the court was not shown any documents to provide evidence of these claims and Chief Justice Brian Preston decided he would not reduce the fine as there was insufficient evidence of supposed financial difficulties The Khouzames did not respond to multiple requests for comment Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter The owner of a Southern Highlands property who is the wife of the convicted Sydney builder responsible for last year\\u2019s collapsed Condell Park home who was last week fined $135,000 for felling hundreds of trees in the Southern Highlands Those charges occurred following a government investigation into his company the couple is at the centre of a lengthy Environmental Protection Authority investigation into the Canyonleigh property registered in Chaza Khouzame\\u2019s name The EPA was informed about \\u201Calleged transportation and land application of fill material\\u201D to the Canyonleigh site of material applied on areas that are cleared of vegetation,\\u201D the notice said \\u201CThere were at least two differing types of waste across the different areas of the premises \\u2026 Within the waste EPA officers collected six fragments of suspected asbestos containing material.\\u201D Hemisphere Constructions \\u2013 of which Mr Khouzame was the sole director before it had its building licence cancelled a month after the Condell Park home collapsed and before the business was placed into administration in July 2023 \\u2013 was on the site during the period the trees were removed One local resident \\u2013 who wished to remain anonymous citing privacy concerns \\u2013 said they had seen the Khouzames on the 40-hectare property on many weekends An EPA spokesperson said Mr Khouzame \\u201Callegedly provided false information to the EPA during the EPA\\u2019s investigation for an alleged pollution incident at a property located at Canyonleigh in the Southern Highlands\\u201D \\u201CThe EPA cannot provide any further comment while the matter is before the Court,\\u201D they said Mr Khouzame defended the charges as \\u201Cvery \\u201CIt was literally an honest mistake from my staff in the office,\\u201D he said Mrs Khouzame provided a psychological report describing her as a \\u201Ccooperative though depressed and anxious woman\\u201D with a \\u201Ccomplex clinical and developmental history which was particularly acute in the lead up to her alleged offending conduct\\u201D She also submitted a letter from her accountant that described \\u201Cdire financial circumstances\\u201D as a result of her \\u201Cprolonged period of unemployment\\u201D that had left her \\u201Cgrappling with substantial challenges in meeting her financial obligations\\u201D The court was told she was paying for school fees for the couple\\u2019s children and had used her own savings to pay legal fees She told the court she was behind on repayments of the couple\\u2019s South Hurstville home The man whose company built a Condell Park home that collapsed in the dead of night last year has pleaded guilty to a string of fraud-related charges was on the run from authorities for nearly two months at the beginning of the year before he handed himself in to NSW Police in March responsible for the Condell Park home that collapsed shortly after being built has pleaded guilty to various fraud charges.Credit: Kate Geraghty / Supplied pleaded guilty to nine offences relating to using an unlicensed contractor and the fraudulent lodging of insurance applications on three different worksites but Building Commission NSW and the state’s police failed to secure any prosecutions relating to the Condell Park home collapse after having his building licence cancelled shortly after the collapse he had paid out “every single home owner” who had contracted him for work and his fraudulent insurance claims were “just negligence from my office” It was literally an honest mistake from my staff in the office,” he said of the nine convictions: three charges of publishing misleading material to obtain financial advantage Attention turned to Khouzame and his company on Good Friday last year when a young family renting the home built less than 12 months earlier was woken at 4.30am by the sound of the ceiling collapsing Neighbours described hearing what sounded like an explosion as a portion of the house in Sydney’s south-west fell down, hitting several cars parked underneath. A previous tenant of the property said one room had earlier “completely flooded” But the collapse was less surprising to authorities who had launched an urgent investigation into Hemisphere Constructions a month earlier NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler had made an unannounced visit to a worksite in Concord operated by Hemisphere Constructions and found what he described as “pretty obvious” unsafe work practices “There is a strong correlation between unsafe worksites and the potential for serious defects to be incorporated in the project,” he told the ABC After cancelling Hemisphere’s building licence the following month the predecessor to Building Commission NSW and investigators from Bankstown Police spent the year looking into the company On visiting multiple homes connected to him they encountered a problem: Khouzame was nowhere to be found NSW Police obtained an arrest warrant and appealed to the public to find the wanted man is wanted on an outstanding warrant in relation to fraud offences,” NSW Police posted on social media “Anyone with information into his whereabouts is urged to not … approach him but to call triple zero (000) immediately.” He handed himself in at Bankstown Police Station at 5.30am on March 6 The builder in May pleaded guilty to the offences relating to his management of homes in Punchbowl Khouzame significantly understated how much his building projects were worth on insurance applications For a Macquarie Fields dual occupancy construction project worth $900,000 Khouzame was accused of writing in his Home Building Warranty Insurance that it was worth $520,000 “Had the correct value of construction been stated on both insurance applications the value of the insurance premiums would have totalled $14,799.00 creating a deficit of $7517.94,” the facts tendered to the court read Khouzame listed the construction value to the insurance provider as $150,000 instead of $400,000 He also pleaded guilty to engaging an unlicensed contractor to install windows and doors at a site he was renovating in Chester Hill who called the Herald on Wednesday from a private phone number after numerous attempts to contact him for comment said the offences were “all they [the investigators] could come up with over a 10-year investigation and 350 homes” “The charges were dismissed in relation to the fraud and I pled guilty to only one charge for the home warranty application,” he said But after the Herald read out his nine offences to which he pleaded guilty and was fined a total of $5450 Khouzame repeated his claim that it was “very minor fraud” to update the home warranty to reflect the variations [in project costs] … It was just negligence from my office “So we had existing 24 open projects when the house collapse happened and the licence was cancelled and we paid out every single home owner and every single client I approached the problem head on and I [had] done what I had to do to make sure that every client and every home owner has been supported by me personally Building Minister Anoulack Chanthivong says the charges reflected the new powers of the Building Commission.Credit: Chris Lane suspended or disqualified 136 construction licences “We’re starting to see the dividends of the expansion of powers the NSW government provided to the Building Commission,” Building Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said “It now has an expanded tool kit to improve build quality and weed out those who don’t play by the rules we’ve had a nearly 100 per cent increase in the number of building work rectification orders issued Chanthivong did not respond to questions about why charges had not been laid over the house collapse Khouzame is now working as a labourer for a friend’s food company The man whose company built a in the dead of night last year has pleaded guilty to a string of fraud-related charges but Building Commission NSW and the state\\u2019s police failed to secure any prosecutions relating to the Condell Park home collapse he had paid out \\u201Cevery single home owner\\u201D who had contracted him for work and his fraudulent insurance claims were \\u201Cjust negligence from my office\\u201D It was literally an honest mistake from my staff in the office,\\u201D he said of the nine convictions: three charges of publishing misleading material to obtain financial advantage Neighbours described hearing what sounded like an explosion as a portion of the house in Sydney\\u2019s south-west fell down A previous tenant of the property one room had earlier \\u201Ccompletely flooded\\u201D NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler had made an unannounced visit to a worksite in Concord operated by Hemisphere Constructions and found what he described as \\u201Cpretty obvious\\u201D unsafe work practices \\u201CThere is a strong correlation between unsafe worksites and the potential for serious defects to be incorporated in the project,\\u201D he told the ABC After cancelling Hemisphere\\u2019s building licence the following month is wanted on an outstanding warrant in relation to fraud offences,\\u201D NSW Police posted on social media \\u201CAnyone with information into his whereabouts is urged to not \\u2026 approach him but to call triple zero (000) immediately.\\u201D \\u201CHad the correct value of construction been stated on both insurance applications the value of the insurance premiums would have totalled $14,799.00 creating a deficit of $7517.94,\\u201D the facts tendered to the court read said the offences were \\u201Call they [the investigators] could come up with over a 10-year investigation and 350 homes\\u201D \\u201CThe charges were dismissed in relation to the fraud and I pled guilty to only one charge for the home warranty application,\\u201D he said Khouzame repeated his claim that it was \\u201Cvery minor fraud\\u201D to update the home warranty to reflect the variations [in project costs] \\u2026 It was just negligence from my office \\u201CSo we had existing 24 open projects when the house collapse happened and the licence was cancelled \\u201CI didn\\u2019t run away from the problem \\u201CWe\\u2019re starting to see the dividends of the expansion of powers the NSW government provided to the Building Commission,\\u201D Building Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said \\u201CIt now has an expanded tool kit to improve build quality and weed out those who don\\u2019t play by the rules we\\u2019ve had a nearly 100 per cent increase in the number of building work rectification orders issued Khouzame is now working as a labourer for a friend\\u2019s food company You can now click/tap WATCH to start the live stream You can now click/tap LISTEN to start the live stream You can now click/tap LATEST NEWS to start the live stream There’s a catfight brewing in Sydney’s south-west as the Condell Park community battles the local council to deal with a feral feline problem. Resident Joseph Mete filmed the clowder as the cats prowled the streets. Press PLAY below to see how bad the problem has become Mr Mete told Jim Wilson he has to listen to the cats breeding and “brawling at all times of the night”, certain someone in the neighbourhood is feeding the animals. “Everyone’s too scared to tackle it: we need someone who’s actually going to fix the problem, instead of just brushing it under the carpet. “Something needs to be done, and the council should be the ones doing it. “Sadly with all the complaints I’ve made, it falls on deaf ears.” Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour responded to the accusation, telling Jim responsibility falls with the state government due to restrictions imposed by NSW’s Companion Animals Act. “The reality is the law doesn’t allow us to do much. “Council can’t seize a cat unless they’re in a public place prohibited under the Act, places like food preparation and consumption areas and wildlife protection areas , or … for someone’s protection. “The Local Government Minister is the person that has the power to change the Act.” Press PLAY below to hear the Mayor’s response in full Police established a crime scene after a man was shot and killed at Condell Park. (ABC News) Link copiedShareShare articleSydney police have called on the patriarchs and the matriarchs of two families to end the "bloodshed" after a man was shot dead at Condell Park in the city's west. Bilal Taha, 34, died after being shot multiple times on the front lawn of a property in Fifth Avenue just after 6:00pm (AEDT) on Sunday. Paramedics treated him at the scene before rushing him to hospital where he later died. Bankstown Commander Dave Eardley said the victim was known to them, as were some of his family members and a second family involved in a dispute. "The death of this person in a very violent and targeted shooting was a direct result of current conflict between two families," he said. "This conflict we believe has been ongoing for a period of approximately two months and this is the third shooting that we are aware of that has been a result of this conflict. Bilal Taha was shot dead on the front lawn of a house at Condell Park. (Facebook) "The community and the police have had enough of this violence. There must be an end to this violence now." Commander Eardley said they believed the shooting was linked to two others in the Bankstown area in the past two months. "The patriarchs and matriarchs of these families need to pull these families in line," he said. "Enough is enough. There has been enough bloodshed." A crime scene was established and forensic officers combed the site for evidence on Sunday night and Monday morning. A neighbour told the ABC he was having a barbeque in his backyard when he heard gunshots and rushed inside. The neighbour, who did not want to be identified, said he heard a car speeding away moments later. A second shooting happened at nearby Regents Park just before 10:00pm on Sunday, but police said they did not believe the incidents were linked. Police searched for clues after shots were fired at a Regents Park home. (ABC News) A home was peppered with bullets after two men drove to the Kibo Road house and spoke to the occupants outside. Nobody was injured, Detective Inspector Stuart Sweeney said. "However, a woman in her 50s and a female in her teens were treated at the scene by ambulance paramedics for shock," he said. "A crime scene has been established and inquiries into the incident continue." Police have appealed for information from the public about both incidents. The number of officers on the beat in Bansktown will be stepped up as of Monday night to avoid any possibility of reprisal attacks, police said. We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. A $100,000 debt is believed to be at the centre of a fatal shootout involving up to five guns outside a smash repairer business in south-western Sydney. As investigators continue to piece together who the main players were in the weekend shooting at Condell Park, it can be revealed police have been told between four to five firearms were present during the gunfight. Safwan Charbaji, 32, was shot in the head and chest after a confrontation on Ilma Street on Saturday afternoon. Also injured in the gunfire was Abdullah El Masri, 35, who was shot in the face. Relatives and friends of Safwan Charbaji, who was shot dead in Condell Park, carry his coffin outside Lakemba Mosque.Credit: Daniel Munoz He remains in Liverpool Hospital in a serious condition. Mr Charbaji, who police found bloodied in the front passenger seat of a car outside Bankstown Hospital's emergency department, died from his injuries. Fairfax Media understands an outstanding debt of about $100,000 is one theory being investigated as the catalyst for the violence. Gunfire erupted on the street outside the A Team Body Works business after about half an hour of heated argument between two groups of people. Mohammed Alameddine leaves Bankstown Court with his lawyer Elias TabchouriCredit: Daniel Munoz Convicted criminal Walid "Wally" Ahmad is linked to the smash repairs business. He was jailed in 2005 after shooting dead Mayez Danny at a Greenacre wrecking yard in 2002. Fairfax Media also understands detectives are looking for any bikie links to those involved after a high-ranking member of the Nomads OMCG turned up to see Mr El Masri in hospital. The scene of the shooting at Ilma St, Condell Park.Credit: TNV As detectives continued to roll out search warrants around the south western suburbs on Wednesday, relatives of Mr Charbaji gathered at Lakemba Mosque for his funeral. It is understood police have searched the homes of people subject to firearm prohibition orders, which ban a person from owning a gun and allow police to search their homes without a warrant. Among the properties searched since the weekend was that of Mohamad Abul Hamid Elmir, who has been charged with concealing a serious indictable offence. Police allege Elmir and friend Adam Sam Abboud, who were in the car that drove Mr Charbaji to hospital, were not telling them the full story of how Mr Charbaji ended up with gunshot wounds. Safwan Charbaji was fatally shot outside the A Team Body Works in Condell Park.Credit: Facebook Mohammed Alameddine, 26, told police he drove Mr El Masri to Bankstown Hospital after getting a call to come down to Condell Park. He was also charged with concealing a serious offence after turning up to Bankstown Police Station on Monday night to get his car, which was left at the hospital. Mr Charbaji, who police found bloodied in the front passenger seat of a car outside Bankstown Hospital's emergency department, died from his injuries. Convicted criminal Walid \\\"Wally\\\" Ahmad is linked to the smash repairs business. He was jailed in 2005 after shooting dead Mayez Danny at a Greenacre wrecking yard in 2002. On arrival in Condell Park, police found a man with multiple gunshot wounds lying outside a home. (ABC News) Link copiedShareShare articleA man has died after a shooting at Condell Park in Sydney's south-west. Police and paramedics were called to Fifth Avenue at about 6:00pm (local time) after reports of gunshots. On arrival, they found a man, aged in his 30s, lying outside a home with gunshot wounds. The man was treated at the scene and taken to hospital where he died a short time later. Detectives from the State Crime Command's homicide squad will join police from Bankstown Local Area Command and specialist forensic officers to examine the scene. Police have been told a car was seen speeding away from the area shortly after the shooting. As police pulled up to Bankstown Hospital on Saturday afternoon, they were expecting to find a man, still alive, but with a gunshot wound to his face. But they drove into the emergency bay and found another car with two panicked mates and a bloodied passenger. As officers approached the car they spotted 32-year-old Safwan Charbaji's lifeless body in the front seat. After the door was opened a handful of unspent bullets tumbled out of the dead man's lap and onto the concrete. Safwan Charbaji was shot dead after a confrontation in Sydney's south-west.Credit: YouTube On the other side of the hospital was the man police had been called to. Abdullah El Masri, 35, had been driven to the hospital separately. It is understood he was left there by a driver who fled the scene. For the past two days detectives have attempted to piece together the bizarre and murky set of circumstances that left Mr Charbaji dead and Mr El Masri on life support. Fairfax Media understands an outstanding debt dispute is one of the possible motives being investigated for the fatal shooting, which started with a fight outside a south western Sydney panel beaters. Police tape at businesses neighbouring the A Team Body Work shop at Condell Park following Saturday's shooting.Credit: Nic Walker Police were initially called to Ilma St in Condell Park on Saturday afternoon after neighbours reported people arguing and gunshots outside the A Team Body Work business. The smash repairs is linked to well-known convicted criminal Walid "Wally" Ahmad. Blood on the road at Condell Park where two men were shot.Credit: Nic Walker Ahmad was jailed in 2005 after shooting dead Mayez Danny at a Greenacre wrecking yard in 2002. At the time Ahmad was working as a bouncer at a King Cross nightclub owned by Hassan "Sam" Ibrahim. Mr Danny had taken issue with Ahmad punching his nephew and breaking his jaw after refusing him entry into the DCM nightclub. Ahmad later shot Mr Danny five times at a prearranged meeting at a Greenacre auto wreckers after an earlier truce between the two crumbled. He was sentenced to a minimum of seven years jail for manslaughter and other assault-related offences. Neighbouring business owners said they heard two groups of people arguing on Saturday in the industrial area before four to six gunshots rang out in the street. "They were arguing inside the factory first," one nearby worker said. "Then they started fighting each other around the gate. Then I think they had a rest and started again. "It is quite normal to hear, we just didn't realise they would start shooting each other." CCTV seized by police shows a number of people in a heated confrontation on the street for about half an hour before the shots were fired. On Sunday police charged Mohamad Abul Hamid Elmir and Adam Sam Abboud, who arrived at hospital with Mr Charbaji, with concealing a serious indictable offence. Police allege the pair did not tell them the whole truth about how their friend ended up with a bullet to the head and chest. It is understood Elmir, 22, told police he was driving to the gym with his brother-in-law - Mr Charbaji - when someone fired shots from a passing car. In a panic, he called his friend, Abboud, who happened to be at the Revesby McDonald's nearby. Elmir picked Abboud up, he told police, and they decided Mr Charbaji needed medical treatment and rushed him to hospital. While police alleged there was more going on behind the scenes than Elmir and Abboud were telling them, Magistrate John McIntosh said on Sunday in granting bail it was unknown what the men saw or knew. The pair's lawyer, Ben Archbold said his clients, who would vigorously defend the charges, were traumatised. "There are no winners in a situation like this," he said. "They are pleased they got bail as they have the funeral of a brother-in-law and a friend to attend." Mr Charbaji's heartbroken family are in the process of planning his funeral and gathered at his mother's Bankstown home on Monday to mourn together. "They don't understand why this has happened," the family said in a statement. "It is a completely senseless murder. We can't understand why he was targeted." Mr El Masri remains in a critical but stable condition in Liverpool Hospital. As officers approached the car they spotted 32-year-old Safwan Charbaji's lifeless body in the front seat. After the door was opened a handful of unspent bullets tumbled out of the dead man's lap and onto the concrete. The smash repairs is linked to well-known convicted criminal Walid \\\"Wally\\\" Ahmad. At the time Ahmad was working as a bouncer at a King Cross nightclub owned by Hassan \\\"Sam\\\" Ibrahim. \\\"They were arguing inside the factory first,\\\" one nearby worker said. \\\"Then they started fighting each other around the gate. Then I think they had a rest and started again. \\\"It is quite normal to hear, we just didn't realise they would start shooting each other.\\\" In a panic, he called his friend, Abboud, who happened to be at the Revesby McDonald's nearby. The pair's lawyer, Ben Archbold said his clients, who would vigorously defend the charges, were traumatised. \\\"There are no winners in a situation like this,\\\" he said. \\\"They are pleased they got bail as they have the funeral of a brother-in-law and a friend to attend.\\\" Mr Charbaji's heartbroken family are in the process of planning his funeral and gathered at his mother's Bankstown home on Monday to mourn together. \\\"They don't understand why this has happened,\\\" the family said in a statement. \\\"It is a completely senseless murder. We can't understand why he was targeted.\\\" ABC News News HomePolice search for man wanted over Condell Park fatal shootingShare Police search for man wanted over Condell Park fatal shootingTopic:Homicide Police say Fawaz Mohammed Elmir may be trying to flee the country Link copiedShareShare articleUp to 12 people may have been involved in a fatal shooting at Condell Park A 32-year-old man died and a 35-year-old man was seriously injured when they were shot at an industrial complex on Ilma Street police released the name of one of the people wanted over the shooting Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Mick Willing said Fawaz Mohammed Elmir was wanted by virtue of an arrest warrant for "[shooting] with intent to commit murder" Detective Superintendent Willing said police had been unable to locate Elmir and they were hoping the public would help "Detectives have conducted extensive inquiries over the last few weeks to try and locate Mr Elmir but he hasn't been able to be found," he said Detective Superintendent Willing said officers were concerned Elmir might try to flee the country "We know that he's known to frequent the south-west Sydney area and also locations like Melbourne," he said "We do have information that he may try to flee the country Elmir is not the only person police are looking for in relation to the shooting "Our inquiries to this point suggest that there might be up to 12 people involved," Detective Superintendent Willing said but we are working through some legal issues in relation to those "But what I would like to do now is appeal to everyone in the community to help identify anyone else who was involved in the offence." Police are also investigating whether the shooting at Condell Park is connected to another fatal shooting at Bankstown in April. Crime figure Walid "Wally" Ahmad, 40, died and his 51-year-old bodyguard and a 32-year-old woman were injured after being shot at Bankstown Central Shopping Centre, in what police said was a targeted attack. Two gunmen lay in wait outside the south-west Sydney home of Mejid Hamzy on Monday morning before opening fire killing him as he tried to escape down the street potentially setting off another bloody feud among the city's underworld was the younger brother of one of the state's most dangerous criminals who founded the violent street gang Brothers 4 Life and has been known to still wield influence over members from within jail Family and friends gather near where Mejid Hamzy was shot dead Within hours of Mejid Hamzy's death outside his home on Simmat Avenue at Condell Park police were already warning that his fatal shooting could lead to reprisals "Police are always worried in circumstances like this that there could be repercussions," Bankstown Police Area Commander acting Superintendent Darren Sly said Mr Hamzy was shot multiple times at 7.30am but managed to make it down the street before collapsing outside a friend's home in nearby Curtin Place Despite the efforts of ambulance crews he died at the scene Acting Superintendent Sly said the two gunmen then got into a car and drove off A burnt-out car was found in nearby Yagoona a short time later but police are still investigating if it is linked to the shooting Detectives are determining a motive for the attack but police believe Mr Hamzy was the intended target it would appear those two males I described have been waiting for the male to leave his house this morning," acting Superintendent Sly said "So certainly at this early stage we would say this was a targeted shooting." Mr Hamzy had a lower profile than his notorious brother Family friends outside his home on Monday said he was a "beautiful family man" and not that close to his older sibling Brothers for Life gang leader Bassam Hamzy (main and inset) whose younger brother Mejid Hamzy was shot dead on Monday.Credit: NSW Police The younger Hamzy had at one time owned a chocolate cafe and was charged in 2012 for his alleged involvement in importing methamphetamine into Australia However a jury could not reach a verdict during his trial in 2017 and he was granted a permanent stay on his case in 2019 The Hamzy family have a long and violent history in Sydney's south-west having originally been sentenced to 21 years' jail over the murder of Kris Toumazis outside a Sydney nightclub in 1998 he formed the street gang Brothers for Life through which he operated a $250,000-a-week drug ring making up to 450 phone calls a day with a mobile phone that had been smuggled into his cell After setting up a number of chapters across Sydney the gang then turned on itself during a deadly internal feud in 2013 A burnt-out car on Colechin Street in Yagoona was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity at his Revesby Heights home The intended target of that attack was another cousin who is known as "Little Crazy" or LC who at one stage led the Brothers For Life Bankstown chapter Mohammed Hamzy is in prison for manslaughter after he fired 11 shots into a car killing his friend and fellow gang member Yeyah Amoud at Greenacre Hamzy told his trial he fired in self-defence after another man in the car potentially setting off another bloody feud among the city's underworld was the younger brother of one of the state's most dangerous criminals Within hours of Mejid Hamzy's death outside his home on Simmat Avenue at Condell Park \\\"Police are always worried in circumstances like this that there could be repercussions,\\\" Bankstown Police Area Commander acting Superintendent Darren Sly said but managed to make it down the street before collapsing outside a friend's home in nearby Curtin Place it would appear those two males I described have been waiting for the male to leave his house this morning,\\\" acting Superintendent Sly said \\\"So certainly at this early stage we would say this was a targeted shooting.\\\" Family friends outside his home on Monday said he was a \\\"beautiful family man\\\" and not that close to his older sibling The Hamzy family have a long and violent history in Sydney's south-west having originally been sentenced to 21 years' jail over the murder of Kris Toumazis outside a Sydney nightclub in 1998 who is known as \\\"Little Crazy\\\" or LC Friends of Abdullah Elmir say they do not judge him for joining IS. Link copiedShareShare articleFriends of a Sydney teenager who has appeared in an Islamic State (IS) propaganda video have defended his decision to join the jihadist group. In the video directed at Prime Minister Tony Abbott, which emerged on Tuesday, 17-year-old Abdullah Elmir said the terrorist group "will not stop fighting" until it controls "every single land". The video has been condemned by Australian Muslim groups. Political leaders have described the footage as "chilling" and said it shows why the West must stop IS's advance across the Middle East. The ABC can reveal Elmir was a student at Condell Park High School in Sydney's south-west and disappeared in June, along with another 16-year-old Australian boy. It is believed the pair travelled to Turkey and then crossed the border into Syria to join IS militants, but the other boy has since returned home. Before travelling to the Middle East, Elmir had a love of theatre and last year, while in year 10, wrote about looking forward to more great performances. I swear, people get mad because we defend his legacy, he is still our mate and that's not changing anything. One of Elmir's friends told the ABC via social media that "his friends were taken by surprise by his sudden departure". "It's causing a lot of conflict on social media," she said. "His close friends are trying to get everyone to respect Abdullah's decision and not cuss him as he was just as normal as anyone else." Another friend told the ABC through Facebook: "Never make judgements on a situation you've never been in. Never make judgements on decisions you've never had to make." While another said: "I swear, people get mad because we defend his legacy, he is still our mate and that's not changing anything." Muslim community leaders in Australia have condemned the video and are worried about Elmir's future. Silma Ihram from the Australian Muslim Women's Association said she was saddened Elmir had been taken advantage of by Islamic extremists and warned more needed to be done to de-radicalise youths. "I'm really terribly disappointed in seeing a young man destroy his life like that and upset and angry at the people who've duped him into thinking he'll be a hero by being part of their PR campaign," she said. "We believe there could be a lot more investment in resources to support religious leaders, those who mentor young people to support families in intervention strategies." Lydia Shelly, a solicitor with the Muslim Legal Network, said they are also trying to piece together what led the teenager from Bankstown to join the IS group. "I'm very worried as well about this boy who has made such a silly, silly, absolute foolish decision to go over there," she said. "I'm very saddened and a lot of other mothers in our community share that same view. The fear that's in your heart as a non-Muslim Australian is also in our hearts as well. "We need to understand the issues of radicalisation and exactly what attracts those people, especially young men, to these organisations." A community worker, who does not want to be identified, has run his own de-radicalisation workshops and said young Muslims are often motivated by social isolation. "Some of the things that have come up, to be really honest with you, is a deep sense of concern about the injustices that are happening overseas and this need, or a perceived need, to want to do something about it," he said. "And these overseas groups are an avenue to express that need in a very tangible way, albeit obviously wrong." The Prime Minister's Parliamentary Secretary Josh Frydenberg said Elmir's decision to join IS and the release of the video demonstrates why stronger counter-terrorism laws are necessary. "It's a reminder of the threat we face by radicalised young people," he said. "That is why the Government has acted swiftly but also thoughtfully and in a considered way to introduce new legislation and to resource our intelligence and law enforcement agencies better so that we can meet this challenge and protect the local community." The Government hopes its proposed Foreign Fighters Bill will pass Parliament within a fortnight. But Ms Shelly said in Elmir's case, the legislation would have made little difference. "We're quite concerned about this, and we also need to look at how we're going to tackle this problem holistically," she said. "At the moment, we've only got legislative approaches as a response on the table, particularly that Foreign Fighters Provision Bill, and I note that if that act was empowered now, it wouldn't have stopped this young boy from going over, and that concerns me." The Opposition have signalled their support for the Government's proposed legislative changes, however, the Greens and Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyohjelm said the laws were not required. Two days after driving his gunshot-wounded brother-in-law to Bankstown Hospital Mohammed Alameddine strolled into a police station and identified himself as the driver "It was a bad scene...there was blood everywhere," he allegedly told police on Monday night The 26-year-old told police he got a call on Saturday afternoon to come to Ilma Street at Condell Park Alameddine claimed he found someone leaning over his brother-in-law Abdullah El Masri to Bankstown Hospital and police were then called Alameddine was only identified as the driver two days later when he went to the police station to try and get his car back police charged Alameddine with concealing a serious indictable offence He is the third man to be charged with that offence following a double shooting in Condell Park on Saturday that left Mr El Masri in a critical condition and another man dead It is understood police have been told a dispute over an outstanding debt could be a possible motive Investigators allege the version of events Alameddine told them was "flawed" and he appeared "cagey" Police tape outside a neighbouring business after a shooting at the A Team Body Work shop in Condell Park.Credit: Nic Walker El Masri was found with a single gunshot wound to his face after being driven to the general admissions side of Bankstown Hospital in a white Toyota hatchback after 1pm on Saturday another car carrying two friends and 32-year-old Safwan Charbaji turned up outside the hospital's emergency department Officers spotted Mr Charbaji's lifeless body in the front passenger seat and when the door was opened a number of unspent bullets tumbled out of his lap With Mr Charbaji was his brother-in-law Mohamad Abul Hamid Elmir and friend Adam Sam Abboud Both men were later charged with concealing a serious indictable offence with police alleging they were not telling them the whole truth as to how their friend ended up with a fatal gunshot wound It is understood Elmir told police he was driving with Mr Charbaji when shots were fired from a passing car and hit Mr Charbaji investigators believe the double shooting occurred at nearby Ilma St in Condell Park on the street outside A Team Body Works smash repairs The smash repairs is linked to well-known convicted criminal Walid "Wally" Ahmad a former bouncer at Sam Ibrahim's Kings Cross nightclub was jailed in 2005 after shooting dead Mayez Danny at a Greenacre wrecking yard in 2002 CCTV taken from Condell Park after the weekend shooting showed a group of people fighting for about half an hour before four to six gunshots rang out on the industrial street However homicide detectives are still trying to piece together who shot who in the gunfight given the number of people involved Police prosecutor Marissa Peek told Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday the prosecution was concerned with inconsistencies in versions Alameddine provided The court heard Alameddine turned up to the police station at 11pm on Monday and named himself as the driver of the Toyota Corolla that drove Mr El Masri to hospital He told police he was there to get his car and said "it was a bad scene" But the police formed the view there was "something not there or lacking" in Alameddine's version Defence lawyer Elias Tabchouri said his client had gone to the police "on his own free will" "What evidence is there that he has in anyway mislead the police?" he said Mr Tabchouri said he echoed comments made in a hearing of the two other men charged over the weekend that the case was "flawed and weak" It would also be expected Alameddine was highly traumatised Magistrate Ross Hudson said the crown case against him was not strong "...but contains initial flaws in it based on the facts I have read today," he said Alameddine was granted bail on the conditions he not contact prosecution witnesses live at his parents house and report to police three times a week Outside court Mr Tabchouri said the situation was traumatic for everyone involved \\\"It was a bad scene...there was blood everywhere,\\\" he allegedly told police on Monday night It is understood police have been told a could be a possible motive Investigators allege the version of events Alameddine told them was \\\"flawed\\\" and he appeared \\\"cagey\\\" turned up outside the hospital's emergency department Officers spotted Mr Charbaji's lifeless body in the front passenger seat and when the door was opened with concealing a serious indictable offence with police alleging they were not telling them the whole truth as to how their friend ended up with a fatal gunshot wound The smash repairs is linked to well-known convicted criminal Walid \\\"Wally\\\" Ahmad a former bouncer at Sam Ibrahim's Kings Cross nightclub He told police he was there to get his car and said \\\"it was a bad scene\\\" But the police formed the view there was \\\"something not there or lacking\\\" in Alameddine's version Defence lawyer Elias Tabchouri said his client had gone to the police \\\"on his own free will\\\" \\\"What evidence is there that he has in anyway mislead the police?\\\" he said Mr Tabchouri said he echoed comments made in a hearing of the two other men charged over the weekend that the case was \\\"flawed and weak\\\" \\\"...but contains initial flaws in it based on the facts I have read today,\\\" he said A man who showed “wads of cash” to a Tinder date and her female friend while they did cocaine was stabbed to death four months later during an attempted robbery of his home in Sydney’s south-west Luke Lembryk died in December 2019 after he was knifed multiple times in the Condell Park unit he shared with his mother who has since died in unrelated circumstances Five people are on trial for their alleged roles in the murder of Luke Lembryk.Credit: Facebook Joseph Nehme and Viliami Taufahema have all pleaded not guilty to the murder of the 29-year-old who allegedly taped a sword-like knife to Nehme with the intention he would take it to the robbery has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory before the fact to murder The seven-week trial of the five accused began in the Supreme Court in Darlinghurst on Tuesday prosecutor Chris Taylor said Lembryk began communicating with Price over Tinder in August 2019 He said Price took a friend with her to Lembryk’s house and the trio consumed cocaine in a car outside before drinking together inside The prosecutor said Lembryk pulled out “wads of cash .. while they were enjoying themselves in his room” He expects the friend to give evidence she estimated it was between $10,000 and $15,000 A further amount of cash was noticed in a jacket behind his door leaves the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday.Credit: James Brickwood Taylor said Price left the room at the request of her friend who cannot be identified for legal reasons so that woman could be “intimate” with Lembryk which the friend “had no interest” in doing The prosecutor alleged Price talked about Lembryk with others at Rizk’s home and those involved in the conversation spoke about using the friend “as bait” Luke Lembryk was stabbed to death in Condell Park in December 2019.Credit: Facebook “passed that information on” to Nehme on the night of December 6 “That led to Mr Nehme effectively recruiting Mr Taufahema and Mr Rahim to undertake that He alleged Nehme was given “specific guidance” over the phone by Price to find Lembryk’s unit including her suggestion that they could FaceTime Nehme and Taufahema allegedly broke into the unit through a flyscreen window in the early hours of December 7 “to rob the deceased of his cash” Taylor said Lembryk was confronted and stabbed multiple times His mother “was awoken by a loud thumping noise” in the loungeroom and was allegedly assaulted by two men when she opened her bedroom door The prosecutor said CCTV captured three people running and Rahim’s ute without its headlights on while a motorbike was also heard starting and screeching The court heard Lembryk came into his mother’s room The court heard Rahim and Price have also pleaded not guilty to breaking and entering with intent to steal whilst in company and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company during the break and enter relating to Lembryk’s mother The jury was told Taufahema has pleaded guilty to those two charges while Price has pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of break and enter with intent to steal Rahim has pleaded guilty to assault with intent to rob in company The five defence barristers are expected to deliver their opening addresses on Wednesday The trial continues before Justice Richard Button The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here A man who showed \\u201Cwads of cash\\u201D to a Tinder date and her female friend while they did cocaine was stabbed to death four months later during an attempted robbery of his home in Sydney\\u2019s south-west He said Price took a friend with her to Lembryk\\u2019s house and the trio consumed cocaine in a car outside before drinking together inside The prosecutor said Lembryk pulled out \\u201Cwads of cash .. while they were enjoying themselves in his room\\u201D so that woman could be \\u201Cintimate\\u201D with Lembryk which the friend \\u201Chad no interest\\u201D in doing The prosecutor alleged Price talked about Lembryk with others at Rizk\\u2019s home telling them he \\u201Chad money and cocaine\\u201D and those involved in the conversation spoke about using the friend \\u201Cas bait\\u201D \\u201Cpassed that information on\\u201D to Nehme on the night of December 6 \\u201CThat led to Mr Nehme effectively recruiting Mr Taufahema and Mr Rahim to undertake that He alleged Nehme was given \\u201Cspecific guidance\\u201D over the phone by Price to find Lembryk\\u2019s unit Nehme and Taufahema allegedly broke into the unit through a flyscreen window in the early hours of December 7 \\u201Cto rob the deceased of his cash\\u201D His mother \\u201Cwas awoken by a loud thumping noise\\u201D in the loungeroom and was allegedly assaulted by two men when she opened her bedroom door The prosecutor said CCTV captured three people running and Rahim\\u2019s ute without its headlights on alleged to be Nehme\\u2019s Harley-Davidson The court heard Lembryk came into his mother\\u2019s room and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company during the break and enter relating to Lembryk\\u2019s mother The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day\\u2019s most important and interesting stories Lara Pope says just being nominated in the 2019 NSW Minister’s and Secretary’s Awards for Excellence was award enough The deputy principal at Condell Park Public School was nominated by her principal The annual awards showcase NSW public school students staff and parents who have made major contributions to their school communities and serve as role models to their peers she felt acknowledged for her career-long dedication “It validates the countless hours over weeknights and weekends throughout my career dedicated to the crafting of my teaching at the expense of time spent with my own family and friends for the greater good of the communities I serve,” she says pictured with NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell Pope’s role at Condell Park Public School is to support teachers and students in the area of literacy Through a program called Teaching in Partnership Pope works with teachers to assess and identify students’ learning needs she guides them through the selection of specific syllabus outcomes and the creation of lessons and assessments “They decide which lessons we teach together which lessons I model or which lessons they teach where I observe and provide constructive feedback,” she says we evaluate which teaching strategies were most effective.” she was influenced and mentored by a “brilliant” literacy consultant who instilled in her a love of language It was through this professional relationship that Pope began to understand the central role language plays in the development of literacy she has worked with other principals who have given her opportunities to deepen her understanding As part of the NSW Literacy and Numeracy strategy program 2017-2020, so-called Instructional Leaders like her are employed through Early Action for Success - the education department’s program to improve students’ literacy and numeracy performance in the early years of schooling - and are responsible for collecting tracking and monitoring student progress against syllabus standards to determine learning needs I have taught in schools situated in low socio-economic areas where the majority of students speak English as an additional language or dialect and require explicit teaching to build their English language skills to effectively communicate,” Pope says Through working “shoulder to shoulder” with colleagues as a classroom teacher in an assistant principal role as a mentor to team members and as Instructional Leader Pope continues to make a valuable contribution For more on the awards see publiceducationfoundation.org.au Lara Pope says just being nominated in the 2019 NSW Minister\\u2019s and Secretary\\u2019s Awards for Excellence was award enough \\u201CIt validates the countless hours over weeknights and weekends throughout my career dedicated to the crafting of my teaching for the greater good of the communities I serve,\\u201D she says Pope\\u2019s role at Condell Park Public School is to support teachers and students in the area of literacy Pope works with teachers to assess and identify students\\u2019 learning needs \\u201CThey decide which lessons we teach together which lessons I model or which lessons they teach where I observe and provide constructive feedback,\\u201D she says we evaluate which teaching strategies were most effective.\\u201D she was influenced and mentored by a \\u201Cbrilliant\\u201D literacy consultant who instilled in her a love of language As part of the NSW Literacy and Numeracy strategy program 2017-2020 so-called Instructional Leaders like her are employed through - the education department\\u2019s program to improve students\\u2019 literacy and numeracy performance in the early years of schooling - and are responsible for collecting I have taught in schools situated in low socio-economic areas where the majority of students speak English as an additional language or dialect and require explicit teaching to build their English language skills to effectively communicate,\\u201D Pope says Through working \\u201Cshoulder to shoulder\\u201D with colleagues as a classroom teacher