‘We need answers’: NSW Labor threatens John Barilaro with ICAC referral

Former deputy premier John Barilaro has been given 24 hours to “clear the air” over an explosive audit on bushfire recovery grants.

NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns has given former deputy premier John Barilaro 24 hours to “clear the air” or risk an ICAC referral after explosive findings he excluded Labor-held electorates from bushfire recovery grants.

A damning new report from the NSW Auditor-General has cast a new light on how Mr Barilaro’s office handled more than half a billion dollars’ worth of grants to recover from the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, with the audit determining the administration process “lacked integrity”.

The findings have infuriated Mr Minns, who has threatened to involve the corruption watchdog if Mr Barilaro did not explain himself.

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has explosively threatened to report former deputy premier John Barilaro to the corruption watchdog. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Simon Bullard

“I think it’s a basic fact of Australian life that if you’re in a disaster zone and you need help from your own government, it will come,” he told 2GB Radio on Friday

“I couldn’t imagine a scenario where John Howard during the millennium drought cherrypicked National and Liberal Party electorates to give financial help.

“I don’t think any leader in any party has ever done this before and we need answers.”

The audit, tabled in NSW parliament on Thursday, found major issues in how the Department of Regional NSW issued $541.8m in grants through the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery (BLER) fund.

Mr Barilaro imposed a $1m threshold on the grant process, which an audit found resulted in projects from Labor-held seats being denied. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA NewsWire

That program was set up to help communities recover from the devastating bushfires that killed 26 people in 2019 and early 2020.

The audit found Mr Barilaro – who resigned from politics in 2021 – intervened to impose a $1m threshold “without a documented reason” to fast-track projects.

It resulted in projects for Labor-held electorates requesting funding for amounts under the threshold being denied.

The grant program was set up to recover from the devastating Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20. Picture: Supplied / Kate Hudson

The Auditor-General’s report found there was little integrity during the administration process and no sufficient guidelines were detailed.

Mr Minns on Friday said Mr Barilaro needed to explain himself.

“If we don‘t get answers today and I mean in the next 24 hours, I do believe it needs to be referred to the ICAC to determine what happened here,” he said.

“Devastated communities deserve an explanation as to what’s happened.

“We can’t just let this float away into the news cycle, we need answers.”

In a statement, the Department of Regional NSW said projects not funded under the fast-tracked round of the BLER Fund received their funding under programs “better suited” to the projects.

“All projects funded under the fast-track round of funding were rigorously assessed and endorsed by the Commonwealth Government as meeting the national Local Economic Recovery Fund requirements,” a spokeswoman said.

“In September last year, the NSW Grants Administration Guide came into effect, helping to directly address the findings and recommendation of the Auditor-General’s report.”