Labor seeks upper house recall over Barilaro papers government failed to produce
NSW Labor has demanded the upper house be recalled to consider the government’s failure to produce key documents in the appointment of John Barilaro to a plum New York trade posting.
NSW Labor has demanded the upper house be recalled this week to consider the Perrottet government’s failure to produce key documents in the appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a plum New York trade posting.
On Sunday, Labor expected to have the signatures of a majority of members of the Legislative Council, including crossbenchers, requesting the recall on Friday.
NSW shadow treasurer Daniel Mookhey said the government had failed to produce even one of the key documents that would show why John Barilaro got the $500,000-a-year job. “They’ve managed to produce media releases from 2020, but they’ve missed the former Nationals leader’s job application and CV,” he said.
Mr Mookhey said the opposition was taking the rare step of recalling parliament “to help bring an end to the government’s obstruction”.
Labor is also challenging a claim of privilege made over some of the documents requested by the parliamentary inquiry investigating the appointment.
“Our preference is for the government to obey the law and hand over the documents,” Mr Mookhey said.
“But without them, the inquiry is stuck having to put together a puzzle without all the pieces.”
The Legislative Council is currently not due to sit again until August 9.
In Japan on a trade mission, the Premier acknowledged on Sunday that some documents had not been provided in the time required but said it was “not uncommon for some slippage to occur”.
“Any document that should be legally provided needs to be provided as quickly as possible,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Dates are set and they should be met. My expectation is that deadlines should be met.”
Trade Minister Stuart Ayres is under pressure to explain why he reverted the selection process from a ministerial appointment back to a public servant appointment, a decision apparently not approved by cabinet.
Mr Perrottet would not be drawn on whether the decision was approved, citing cabinet confidentiality.
“Minister Ayres has always taken the view that they should be GSE (government sector employment) appointments, I respect that, and the previous minister (Mr Barilaro) had a view that they should be executive appointments.”
Mr Perrottet again committed to adopting any recommendations made by the independent review he set up under former top-ranking NSW public servant Graeme Head.
“There’ll be an understanding of what could have been done better, and if things could have been done better, I will adopt those.”
Mr Perrottet has declined an invitation to appear at the upper house inquiry, despite acknowledging he now has concerns about the way the recruitment process was handled.
Mr Perrottet said he no longer believed there was “no substantive issue” with the way Mr Barilaro was appointed to the position at the expense of former senior bureaucrat Jenny West.
The concession came after fresh evidence that Mr Barilaro hurried his staff to expedite a cabinet submission in the weeks leading up to his resignation from Macquarie Street to convert the trade postings into ministerial appointments.
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