‘Barilaro job’ costs Dominic Perrottet traction

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has been distracted from promoting his big-spending pre-election budget for the third day in a row.

Former NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Adam Yip

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has been distracted from promoting his big-spending pre-election budget for the third day in a row, challenged in parliament over the appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a New York trade commissioner’s job on a $600,000 salary package.

Mr Perrottet admitted on Thursday that state cabinet approved the appointment of two other trade commissioners to international posts, but insisted its blessing was “not necessary” for Mr Barilaro to take up a similar role in New York.

The Premier said cabinet could not lawfully intervene in the selection process because the trade position was a senior public service role approved from a shortlist by the chief executive of Investment NSW “on merit”.

Mr Perrottet was later asked whether any trade commissioner positions including the New York job – all created by Mr Barilaro when he was trade minister before quitting politics last October – went to cabinet for approval.

“Good question, Mr Speaker, they did,” Mr Perrottet said. “The advice I’ve received from our legal counsel ... is that there were six appointments and there were two appointments that were submitted to cabinet.

“The advice I’ve received is that they were submitted to cabinet in error, and the correct process, as advised by (Department of Premier and Cabinet), was followed in relation to the subsequent four.”

Earlier, Mr Perrottet said he had directed the secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Michael Coutts-Trotter, to conduct a review of the Barilaro appointment, which would be handed to him for consideration and made public.

Mr Coutts-Trotter is Mr Perrottet’s department head who was handpicked for the position last October when Mr Perrottet succeeded Gladys Berejiklian as NSW premier and sacked her recent appointment to the post, Ian Betts.

The review by Mr Coutts-Trotter will run parallel to a separate parliamentary inquiry into the Barilaro appointment forced on the government in the upper house.

Under terms of reference drawn up by Labor’s upper house leader Penny Sharpe, the public accountability committee will investigate alleged discrepancies including why a second selection process was held for the job when it was apparently first offered last year to a senior public servant, Jenny West, and then rescinded.

Another matter under review is why the “final decision-maker” in the Barilaro appointment, according to Mr Perrottet, was the chief executive of Investment NSW and secretary of the Department of Enterprises, Investment and Trade, Amy Brown.

Before Mr Barilaro quit politics last October, he was trade minister and Ms Brown reported to him. She now reports to Mr Barilaro’s ministerial successor, Stuart Ayres, who announced the Barilaro appointment in a press release issued at 4pm last Friday.