Pressure to intensify on Premier over his handling of Barilaro affair
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet faces internal government discord over his handling of former deputy John Barilaro’s appointment to a $500,000-a-year trade commissioner’s job.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet faces internal government discord over his handling of former deputy John Barilaro’s appointment to a $500,000-a-year trade commissioner’s job in New York less than nine months before a state election.
Despite Mr Barilaro’s abrupt withdrawal from the job on Thursday, and Mr Perrottet’s apparent hope the issue will fade from public attention, cabinet members and backbenchers are privately dismayed at potential damage to the government’s public standing.
They claim Mr Perrottet has lost control of the Barilaro affair, the government’s good-news strategy of releasing a big-spending budget to keep voters onside has been derailed and the matter could have been averted early if there was wiser judgment from the Premier’s office.
Pressure on Mr Perrottet is set to intensify next week when former top public servant Jenny West, initially offered the New York post but dumped in favour of Mr Barilaro, gives evidence at an upper house inquiry.
Ms West is expected to give her account of what happened when she was offered the job in August by the head of Investment NSW, Amy Brown, only to be told by Ms Brown on October 1 that the offer was rescinded following intervention from Mr Barilaro as trade minister because the job was to switch from a public service to a ministerial appointment.
Three days later, Mr Barilaro quit as deputy premier and a minister, and said he would leave parliament.
He applied for the New York job when it was readvertised in December, and his appointment was publicly confirmed a fortnight ago by his successor as trade minister, Stuart Ayres, amid a stream of pre-budget spending announcements.
Mr Perrottet told parliament more than a week ago that “the first recruitment process did not identify a suitable candidate” and Mr Barilaro was the best candidate from a global search.
He further confirmed this week that Mr Barilaro told him in a “social setting” about his interest in the New York job when it was readvertised, which has alarmed government members that the Premier apparently saw nothing politically contentious at the time.
Mr Ayres revealed this week he did have concerns when Mr Barilaro texted him that he was interested in the trade commissioner’s post, but he too apparently took no action apart from ensuring the selection process remained legally a public service, not ministerial appointment.
Some of Mr Perrottet’s colleagues are concerned his earlier involvement in the process could lead him to being further drawn into scrutiny as inquiry investigations continue.
When Mr Perrottet was still treasurer in the final days of Gladys Berejiklian’s government last September, he was part of a cabinet decision that switched the trade commissioner’s selection process from public service to a ministerial appointment and led to Ms West’s job offer being retracted.
At that stage, Investment NSW, which had been in charge of the selection process, was also an agency under Mr Perrottet’s Treasury portfolio.
The parliamentary inquiry into the Barilaro affair heard on Wednesday that Ms West was “very upset” that she was denied the job after it was offered to her.
She later sent a detailed written complaint to Mr Perrottet’s Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary, Michael Coutts-Trotter.
Last week, before it was known publicly Ms West had complained to him, Mr Coutts-Trotter was entrusted by Mr Perrottet to head an inquiry into the Barilaro appointment separate to the parliamentary inquiry. He has since referred it to a former public service commissioner, Graeme Head.
Mr Perrottet maintained on Friday that the Barilaro appointment had nothing to do with him.
“This is a matter for Investment NSW and John Barilaro,” a spokeswoman said.
Treasurer Matt Kean said Mr Barilaro had made “the right call” by withdrawing and called it a “distraction”.
Mr Kean said he was also “surprised” Mr Barilaro was selected.
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