NSW deputy Liberals leader Stuart Ayres has defended his actions over the appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a lucrative trade role in New York.
Key points:
- In a Facebook post last night, Mr Ayres said he and Mr Barilaro were not close friends
- He maintains the appointment process was at arms length via the public service
- Secret government files on Mr Barilaro’s appointment are set to be released this morning
Mr Ayres has been under increasing pressure after documents released publicly to the parliament called into question his involvement in the recruitment process and whether he misled parliament.
The Premier is standing by Mr Ayres, who accompanied him on an overseas trade trip in his role as Trade Minister.
Mr Ayres maintains the recruitment process was conducted at arm’s length from government, and released a lengthy statement backing his actions on his Facebook page late yesterday.
He said he and Mr Barilaro were not close friends and he described his actions as being driven by his desire to “put the people of NSW first”.
“While I respected Mr Barilaro in his role as deputy premier, leader of the National Party and his passionate (and at times excessive) advocacy of regional NSW, I don’t think we ever called each other close friends,” he said.
“In fact, I can’t think of one time in the 11 years we were both in parliament together that we shared a meal or a beer together outside of a work function.
“Every action I have taken has been to remove politics from the recruitment of these roles and put the people of NSW first.”
Mr Ayres’s involvement came under increased scrutiny on Friday after an email sent by Investment NSW chief executive Amy Brown came to light.
The email stated Mr Ayres had added a name to the shortlist for the position.
The name was not Mr Barilaro’s, but the email was released on the same day Mr Ayres declared the recruitment process was separated from the government.
Secret government documents relating to Mr Barilaro’s appointment are set to be made public this morning.
Last week, the government agreed to stop the documents being deemed privileged, after the opposition fought to have them released into the public domain.
Mr Barilaro is no longer taking the job and next Monday he will face a parliamentary inquiry investigating the matter.
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