Besieged Ayres maintains Barilaro appointment by public service
Embattled NSW Trade Minister Stuart Ayres maintains the appointment of John Barilaro to a plum US trade commissioner posting took place at arm’s length from the government.
Embattled NSW Trade Minister Stuart Ayres has doubled down and maintains the appointment of John Barilaro to the state’s plum US trade commissioner posting took place at arm’s length from the government.
His comments come after the state opposition said new documents revealing Mr Ayres’ role in the selection of the former Nationals leader to the $500,000-a-year job were due to be released on Monday.
Mr Ayres said senior trade roles were appointed by the public service, which was independent and apolitical, and any suggestions otherwise were offensive.
“John Barilaro was selected by the public service after it conducted an independent and meritorious based recruitment process,” he said. “I continue to reject any proposition that suggests the STIC Americas role was created, or its recruitment was orchestrated, for the benefit of John Barilaro.”
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is under increasing pressure to stand down Mr Ayres over his role in the scandal.
Opposition Treasury spokesman Daniel Mookhey on Sunday said documents shedding more light on Mr Ayres’ role in the growing scandal would be released on Monday. He said the NSW government should release the documents and Mr Perrottet had returned to a government that was disintegrating under the weight of scandal.
“These documents contain information that the people of NSW will want to see,” he said.
“They will raise serious questions around the selection process, as well as the role of Minister Stuart Ayres here.”
Mr Ayres has repeatedly insisted, including at a press conference on Thursday, that Mr Barilaro’s appointment was done at arm’s length from the government, despite all trade roles falling under his portfolio.
Documents previously released by the state parliamentary inquiry into Mr Barilaro’s appointment have already linked Mr Ayres to the scandal.
A briefing note given to Investment NSW chief executive Amy Brown, released on Thursday, said Mr Ayres met with Mr Barilaro and supported his appointment to the role. The note did not include the date of the meeting but the departmental briefing was approved and dated June 16, the day before Mr Ayres announced Mr Barilaro’s appointment.
An Investment NSW spokesman later said the briefing cover note was a “clerical error” that had “incorrectly” stated Mr Ayres had met with Mr Barilaro.
The Australian approached Mr Perrottet’s office.
Pressure has been building on Mr Ayres the past week over a signed briefing note acknowledging former senior bureaucrat Jenny West had been identified as the successful applicant. That contradicts what Mr Ayres told parliament in June, when he asserted no suitable applicant had been identified in the first recruitment phase.
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