John Barilaro slams Victor Dominello and Service NSW in text message

A war of words has erupted between the Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello.

Tensions have erupted ­between Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello with the Nationals leader sending the Liberal front­bencher a text calling him a “deadset dick” and telling him to “do your f**king job”.

The message was sent after a budget meeting after the Upper Hunter by-election where Mr Dominello had made a comment about there being only two brands in NSW – “brand Gladys” and “brand Service NSW”.

The comments were made in an attempt to ­secure more funding for the agency. Sources have told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Dominello allegedly said Service NSW would also be the reason the government could win the next election.

The comment outraged Mr Barilaro who was also angered that Mr Dominello had not attended a recent annual gala dinner organised by the clubs industry just before the Upper Hunter by-election.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro has called Victor Dominello a “deadset dick”. Picture: AAP/Dean Lewins

The Daily Telegraph has been told Mr Barilaro, who was at the budget meeting, later sent Mr Dominello a text, calling him “a deadset dick”.

“Do your f**king job,” he said later in the text messages.

Mr Barilaro is locked in a fight with Mr Dominello over a proposal to implement a cashless gaming card for pokies – something Clubs NSW has staunchly opposed.

Mr Bari­laro said Clubs NSW was “an important stakeholder”, and complained that he had to drive from Singleton to Sydney and back on a Thursday night for the Clubs NSW dinner amid the by-election campaign.

“I’m sorry you feel this way John, but if you want to have a coffee to discuss, more than happy to,” Mr Dominello ­responded to the messages.

In a statement, Mr Barilaro said he was “disappointed” that the private comments were leaked. However, he doubled down on criticisms of his senior colleague.

“I am more disappointed when cabinet colleagues don’t effectively engage with their industry stakeholders,” he said.

A cashless gambling card was first flagged last year as a means to crack down on money laundered through pokies. It would also aim to tackle problem gambling by ­requiring pokies players to register with the government.

The proposal, which earned a favourable mention in the recent Bergin inquiry into Crown Casino, has been broadly ­rejected by pubs and clubs.

Asked why he had not attended the Clubs NSW dinner, Mr Dominello said he believed it would have been “disingenuous” given the position of Clubs NSW chief executive Josh Landis on tackling problem gambling and money laundering.

“Mr Landis’s stated position that a cashless solution should not be linked to identity – essentially creating digital cash – in my view would profoundly aggravate the problems of money laundering and problem gambling,” he said.