ICAC John Barilaro probe finds no evidence of corruption

ICAC has discontinued an investigation into the appointment of John Barilaro as NSW’s New York trade commissioner, saying it did not identify any evidence of corrupt conduct.

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro. Picture: John Feder

The NSW corruption watchdog has discontinued an investigation into the appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro as the state’s $500,000-a-year New York trade commissioner, saying it did not identify any evidence of corrupt conduct.

In a statement released on Monday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption revealed investigators had delved into Mr Barilaro’s appointment to the lucrative trade envoy role in June last year.

The announcement of Mr Barilaro’s appointment sparked a ­furore, with evidence from a concomitant parliamentary inquiry into the matter being referred to ICAC in July, but the statement was the first confirmation of the probe.

The spokeswoman said ICAC had considered whether former trade minister Stuart Ayres, Mr Barilaro or other government officials had breached public trust; exercised their function dishonestly; or affected the honest or impartial exercise of public officials. “During the course of the investigation, the commission obtained information and documents from various sources … conducted interviews and obtained oral evidence from witnesses in a number of compulsory examinations,” the statement said.

“The investigation did not identify any evidence of corrupt conduct. As a result, the commission has discontinued its investigation. The commission does not propose taking any further action with respect to the matter.”

The appointment of Mr Bari­laro came after a more than year-long external search resulted in two senior women being identified by a global recruitment firm but passed over.

After a meeting with then treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Mr Ayres, Mr Barilaro’s former chief of staff alleged his boss had returned to the office declaring he was “off to New York”, saying he would force the government to move the envoy headquarters from California.

While responsibility for the trade commissioner’s appointment initially was vested in the public service, a cabinet submission created in Mr Barilaro’s office giving ministers the power make the appointment was fast-tracked through cabinet before he resigned from parliament.

The final report of the parliamentary inquiry into the recruitment process concluded the appointment had “all the trademarks of a ‘job for the boys’ ”.

While giving evidence at the inquiry’s hearings, Mr Barilaro denied any wrongdoing but said he wished he had never applied for the role after enduring a “personal hell”. “If I knew what I know now, I wish I never had applied,” he said on Monday. “If I knew what I know now, I wouldn’t have walked into this shit show … because the trauma I’ve gone through over the last six, seven weeks has been significant.”

The furore forced Mr Barilaro to stand down from the position, saying it was untenable with the level of media scrutiny.

Mr Ayres resigned from cabinet after a premier-commissioned report into the trade role raised questions about whether he had breached the ministerial code of conduct, as he had not been at arm’s length from the recruitment process. A subsequent report by Bruce McClintock SC cleared Mr Ayres of wrongdoing.