Revelations about John Barilaro’s appointment to a plum New York trade job have left NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet “concerned and disappointed”.

His remarks come a day after the former NSW deputy premier was grilled by a parliamentary committee about the recruitment process, and about his involvement in securing his girlfriend a job at Investment NSW.

The saga has mired the Perrottet government in an escalating “jobs for the boys” controversy since his appointment was announced in June.

“The whole situation has been incredibly disappointing for everybody who has been involved. There’s no doubt about that,” Premier Perrottet told reporters on Tuesday.

“John Barilaro was a former trade minister and a former deputy premier, and that has been forgotten, I believe.

“As revelations have come out in respect of the process, I’ve been concerned and disappointed.”

The premier referred to an independent review he instigated in June into the process, saying he expected to receive its findings shortly and was already working on his own recommendations.

A draft version of the review forced the resignation of former deputy Liberal leader and trade minister Stuart Ayres last week.

It raised concerns about whether his involvement in the recruitment of Mr Barilaro may have breached the ministerial code of conduct.

The premier announced that Bruce McClintock SC, a former ICAC inspector, will lead a review into whether Mr Ayres breached the code.

Mr Barilaro was on Monday questioned by the committee about recommending one of his former staffers for a job at Investment NSW, after it was revealed the woman went on to become his girlfriend.

The inquiry revealed he gave a professional reference for his former media advisor Jennifer Lugsdin when she applied for the job last year.

The inquiry is interested in whether Ms Lugsdin had any sway over Mr Barilaro’s appointment during her tenure at Investment NSW, which concluded before Mr Barilaro applied for the job.

Mr Barilaro said he reached out to Investment NSW chief executive Amy Brown to find out more about the role Ms Lugsdin wanted.

He stressed the pair were not involved when he made the recommendation, or when she worked for him.

“I put forward her credentials, and thought she might be a good candidate,” he said.

Mr Barilaro said he did not believe anything improper occurred, because Ms Lugsdin was not hired by the NSW government and was employed as a contractor by a recruitment agency.

She stopped working for the agency in December, before he applied for the role in January.

Ms Brown, who was appearing for a third time at the hearing, said she had not been aware of a personal relationship between the two.

Mr Barilaro said it was not unusual for him to give such a reference, adding he “would go into bat for any of my former staff as they were looking for jobs”.

Mr Barilaro said the upper house inquiry had failed to produce any evidence of misconduct and only revealed he was the best man for the job.

NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns said the government had been engaging in obstructionist tactics since the inquiry began.

“I mean, it’s a bit ridiculous … this is taxpayer money. We need to know how it’s been spent,” Mr Minns told ABC TV on Tuesday.

“Circumstances around this appointment have been completely untransparent from the very beginning.”

Mr Barilaro will be recalled to give more evidence to the inquiry on Friday.

– AAP