Another former member of John Barilaro’s team has given evidence to the parliamentary inquiry into the appointment of the former deputy prime minister for a job in New York.
Key points:
- Mr. Barilaro’s former employee said he was asked to ask about agreements to hire a commissioner
- He described his former boss as “an interesting character … enthusiastic and ambitious”
- The former NSW Deputy Prime Minister was offered a post as Trade Commissioner, but has since retired
A transcript of Joseph Brayford’s evidence has been published in the investigation, a day after former Barilaro chief of staff Mark Connell told the investigation that his former chief had always wanted the post of commercial commissioner of the USA.
The controversial New York appointment came with an annual salary package of $ 500,000.
Brayford told the investigation that in August last year he received instructions from his chief of staff, Siobhan McCarthy, to contact the head of NSW Investments and ask about agreements to hire commissioners.
He said he contacted NSW Investment CEO Amy Brown and asked for advice to change the process to ministerial appointments.
Ms Brown said earlier in the investigation that the request to study the transition of posts to ministerial appointments came from a member of the then deputy prime minister’s office.
“The government gave me an order to stop hiring because of a change in government policy to turn positions into statutory officials appointed by a minister,” he told the investigation last month.
“It was a government decision. It would have come because the minister responsible was the Minister of Industry and Trade … Mr John Barilaro.”
Brayford then told the investigation that he received instructions from Mr. Barilaro in September, before going to the cabinet to try to make the change.
Chief Investment Officer Amy Brown gave final approval for the appointment of Mr. Fence. (AAP: Dan Himbrechts)
“I remember receiving a text message from the Deputy Prime Minister asking me to contact Amy Brown to prepare the cabinet presentation,” Brayford said.
Shadow Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, who is part of the parliamentary committee investigating the appointment, asked, “Was it a surprise to receive the text message?”
“Nothing really surprised me with John,” Mr. Brayford replied.
“He’s an interesting character … I don’t think he would have ever worked with someone so enthusiastic and ambitious.”
Brayford also told the investigation that Barilaro wanted the presentation to be made “as soon as possible.”
The former employee was also asked if the cabinet presentation was made available to other ministers.
“I remember having a conversation with (Mr. Barilaro) and he told me he would talk to the other ministers,” he said.
But Brayford said his former boss did not say which ministers he would talk to.
The parliamentary inquiry has previously heard evidence that in mid-2021, Mr Barilaro’s office asked about the change in the recruitment process for the posts of commercial commissioners to be ministerial appointments.
Barilaro then went to the cabinet in September with a presentation to change the process, which was successful.
It meant that former bureaucrat Jenny West, who had been verbally offered the job in New York, terminated it.
Barilaro then left politics and applied for the job in a second round of hiring.
He has now retired from accepting the charge.
Dominic Perrottet opens NSW Investment Headquarters in North Asia in Tokyo. (AAP: Bianca De Marchi)
Speaking from Tokyo, Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet said he was concerned that the controversy surrounding Barilaro’s appointment could undermine his trade mission.
“I think it’s pretty clear that improvements can be made to the system,” he said.
“But I don’t want to comment.”
Perrottet is on the first day of his business trip, which will include the opening of the new trade commissioner’s office in Japan.
He has admitted that there seems to be a problem with how he was originally offered the job in New York to former bureaucrat Jenny West, but then retired.
“I think concerns have come to light about how Jenny West’s situation was handled.”
Perrottet said he was awaiting the findings of an internal review.