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Ex-minister misled public: Barilaro trade job report

John Barilaro's controversial US trade role has been an ongoing scandal for the NSW government.

John Barilaro's controversial US trade role has been an ongoing scandal for the NSW government. Photo: AAP

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro’s appointment to a lucrative US trade job was a “sorry saga” with all the hallmarks of a “job for the boys”, a parliamentary inquiry has found.

“The appointment of Mr Barilaro as (Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner) to the Americas has all the trademarks of a ‘job for the boys’ position,” Greens MP and committee chair Cate Faehrmann wrote.

“This whole sorry saga has shaken the public’s confidence in the integrity of public service recruitment,” she said.

The hiring process was flawed and not carried out at a distance from executives, the Labor and Greens-led committee found after months of investigation and a dozen public hearings.

“Despite assurances from senior public servants and ministers that the appointment process was conducted by the public service under a merit-based process, it is clear that the process was flawed and that the executive was not at arm’s length from the process.”

Former trade minister Stuart Ayres was not at arm’s length during the recruitment and misled the public when appearing at the inquiry, she said.

It was now up to the Legislative Assembly to decide whether Mr Ayres misled the parliament, Ms Faehrmann said.

The decision to change the hiring process from a departmental decision to a ministerial appointment was also made too hastily, causing confusion within the department.

That decision, made by Mr Barilaro, created a vacancy for the New York City role which he later applied for.

Premier Dominic Perrottet dismissed the report as being politically motivated and noted Mr Ayres was cleared of legal wrongdoing in an independent review led by former inspector of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Bruce McClintock.

“I will listen to an independent former inspector of the ICAC rather than Labor and the Greens,” the premier told reporters.

Mr Ayres resigned from cabinet during the scandal, but Mr Perrottet has since confirmed he will return if the coalition are able to win a third term at the upcoming election.

The premier’s defence of Mr Ayres was not good enough, Labor’s Treasury spokesman and committee member Daniel Mookhey said.

“If Dominic Perrottet thinks that Stuart Ayres’ behaviour passes muster under his ministerial code, then his ministerial code is weak and it needs to be tightened up,” Mr Mookhey told reporters on Monday.

“It’s disappointing that Mr Perrottet has refused to understand the public’s concern with this matter and instead continues to try to defend Stuart Ayres using legal technicalities.”

“This was jobs for the boys writ large,” Labor leader Chris Minns added.

Mr Minns said it was a “deliberate and detailed scheme on behalf of senior ministers of the NSW government to appoint a friend of theirs to an extremely lucrative position in New York City”.

In dissenting statements published within the report, government MPs Wes Fang, Scott Farlow and Peter Poulos called the committee’s work partisan and “a politically motivated hit job in the lead up to an election”.

They cited evidence from members of the hiring panel, who asserted the selection process had been competitive.

The appointment became an ongoing scandal for the government and Mr Barilaro relinquished the job before taking up the post, citing intense media scrutiny.

Mr Barilaro has denied any wrongdoing and told the inquiry last year he was vindicated by testimony from other witnesses.

“There’s no evidence in this hearing that points to me that I did seek, sought, pressured, public servants in any way. None. Zero,” he said.

“You have heard from apolitical public servants who said that I was capable, and a credible candidate, that I would be good at the job.”

– AAP

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