That’s a wrap on the premier’s press conference for this morning.
But the issue will not be going away – our live coverage of the NSW parliamentary inquiry into the appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a $500,000-a-year trade post in the US is about to begin.
It is the fourth day of hearings into Barilaro’s controversial appointment since it was first announced by the government almost seven weeks ago. Yo soy Natassia Chrysanthos and I will keep you updated on the latest evidence as it comes before the public accountability committee.
The inquiry is due to hear from Amy Brown from 10.30am until about 4.30pm, with a couple of breaks in between. Brown is the chief executive of Investment NSW and head of the Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade appointed – meaning she was the top bureaucrat overseeing the process that saw the former deputy premier.
In NSW Premier Dominic Perrotte’s comments this morning, he made it clear that stuart ayres′ engagement with Brown during the recruitment process was central to the reason the minister resigned from cabinet last night.
Brown giving evidence on the first day of hearings, on June 29.Credit:Janie Barrett
Brown appeared before the committee on its first day of hearings, back on June 29.
But she has been called back for a second time due to apparent contradictions in her testimony compared to that of others who gave evidence, as well as dozens of bombshell documents that have emerged over recent weeks.
Labor’s leader in the upper house, Penny Sharpeyesterday said Brown had many questions to answer.
“We want to know about her conversations in the shortlisting process in relation to the second round. We want to understand what direction and discussions she was having with Minister [Stuart] Ayres,” Sharpe said.
“And we still haven’t got to the bottom of why she decided that Jenny West was the best candidate for the job one day, and then after the ministers had met, and decided to change the process, all of a sudden, Jenny West was unsuitable.
“She’s got many questions to answer and they’ll just be some of them.”