Ex-NSW trade minister Stuart Ayres cleared after review on Barilaro’s $500k NYC job

A review into the appointment of John Barilaro to a $500,000-a-year job in NYC has found the MP fired for helping him did nothing wrong.

A former NSW minister fired over concerns he broke the rules in when intervening in the hiring process that landed former deputy premier John Barilaro a $500,000-a-year job in New York has been cleared of wrongdoing.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet hired prominent lawyer Bruce McClintock SC to investigate whether ex-trade minister Stuart Ayres broke the ministerial code of conduct when he involved himself in the hiring process for the US trade job.

Ex-deputy premier John Barilaro was chosen for the job, but ended up quitting because of public outrage.

My statement on McClintock Report after it was publicly released today. pic.twitter.com/2hJZfxyZyM

— Stuart Ayres (@stuartayresmp) September 12, 2022

On Monday, Mr McClintock’s long-awaited report was released, where he declared he did not believe Mr Ayres had broken the rules.

“I do not consider that Mr Ayres breached the Ministerial Code of Conduct,” Mr McClintock wrote.

Mr Ayres celebrated the outcome in a statement posted to Twitter, saying Mr Perrottet had described it to him as “an emphatic exoneration”.

“The report is unequivocally clear that I acted in accordance with the Ministerial Code of Conduct,” Mr Ayres said.

“It makes clear that I acted lawfully, honestly and had not conflict of interest ... I have always acted honestly and with integrity.”

Mr Perrottet issued his own, much more terse statement on Monday morning where he noted the outcome of the review.

Stuart Ayres celebrated the report’s findings. Picture NCA Newswire/ Gaye Gerard

“Mr McClintock found that Mr Ayres complied with his obligations under the Ministerial Code of Conduct,” the Premier said.

The McClintock review was launched after a separate report, written by former public service commissioner Graeme Head, raised questions whether Mr Ayres had broken the ministerial code.

The Head review noted “highly irregular” actions by Mr Ayres, including placing a person on a candidate shortlist, but stopped short of answering the question about whether he failed in his obligations as minister.

Mr Perrottet has not ruled out welcoming Mr Ayres back into his ministry.

On Wednesday last week – the same day Mr McClintock provided his review to the Premier – Mr Perrottet said he couldn’t say if Mr Ayres would come back because he hadn’t seen the report yet.

“That‘s a hypothetical. I haven’t seen the review,” he told a budget estimates hearing.