“It has always been my ambition to ensure that the benefits of trade reach those who need it most,” NSW deputy premier John Barilaro wrote last year, when he proposed sending trade envoys overseas, “and we raise the bar for government to truly connect us to our potential”.

Barilaro’s success at winning one of his own jobs, which comes with a New York-based $500,000 package, suggests the former Queanbeyan carpet shop owner worked out how to use trade to maximise his own potential.