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John Barilaro pulls out of parliamentary inquiry into US trade job

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Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro has pulled out of today’s parliamentary inquiry, citing mental health reasons.

The upper house inquiry has been investigating Mr Barilaro’s appointment as senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas.

He was scheduled to give his second day of evidence today, after first facing the inquiry on Monday.

“John Barilaro has informed the committee that due to mental health reasons he is unable to attend today’s hearing,” a statement from the inquiry said.

Mr Barilaro was due to face questions about what his girlfriend, Jennifer Lugsdin, knew about the lucrative US trade job he was awarded earlier this year.

Ms Lugsdin worked for Investment NSW — the body responsible for hiring people for overseas trade roles — when the Americas job was advertised.

Last December she was copied in on discussions about a media release calling for applications for the trade envoy position.

Before taking the role with Investment NSW, Ms Lugsdin was the senior media advisor for Mr Barilaro between 2019 and 2021.

A woman smiling
Jennifer Lugsdin was awarded a short-term role with Investment NSW in August 2021. (Supplied: Linkedin)

On Monday, Mr Barilaro expressed frustration about facing questions about his personal life.

Labor’s Penny Sharpe said she did not enjoy asking “uncomfortable” questions, but said it was necessary.

“Someone you were in a relationship with… was clearly aware of the various processes associated with the advertising and the nature of [the US trade] position,” she told the hearing on Monday.

Mr Barilaro withdrew from the New York-based trade role in June, saying intense media scrutiny made his appointment “untenable”.

The controversy surrounding his selection is now the subject of two inquiries and it led to the resignation of trade minister Stuart Ayres last week.

Although Mr Ayres is adamant he did nothing wrong, an inquiry by Graeme Head raised concerns he might have breached the ministerial code of conduct.

The upper house inquiry has heard Mr Ayres was not at “arm’s length” from the selection process.

Mr Barilaro resigned as deputy premier in October 2021, saying the pressure of public life had “taken a toll”.

He took a month off for his mental health in 2020 and said he thought he would never come back to politics.

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Australia

John Barilaro’s New York job put on ‘separate path’ to others, inquiry hears

John Barilaro's New York job put on 'separate path' to others, inquiry hears

A senior NSW government bureaucrat has told an inquiry the lucrative New York-based trade job given to John Barilaro was “put on a slightly separate path” to similar roles.

Investment NSW CEO Amy Brown is being grilled for a second time at a parliamentary inquiry into the appointment of the former deputy premier as the state’s senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas.

This morning, Ms Brown told the inquiry she had a meeting with former trade minister Stuart Ayres on October 12 last year.

The inquiry was shown an email sent by one of Ms Brown’s staff shortly after that meeting, which included the line “the Minister would like to leave the New York post vacant for now”.

A man looking forward
Former deputy premier John Barilaro is due to give evidence at the inquiry next week.(AAP: Joel Carrett)

But Ms Brown told the inquiry it had actually been her decision to leave the post open, because of various factors, including tax hurdles and “serious performance issues” with a candidate who had initially been successful in applying for the role, Jenny West.

“I didn’t go into any particular detail about some of the performance issues I was starting to become aware of with regard to Ms West,” she told the inquiry.

“That was more conversations I was having with her team, as at that point, they were directly reporting to me because she was on extended leave.

“I said, ‘well, in light of the fact that we can’t offer anyone the job for some time, is it your view that we should keep that recruitment process closed and reopen it at another time?'”

She told the inquiry that Mr Ayres agreed.

“Any conversation I had with Minister Ayres were, therefore, to a degree, influential on my decision but in my view, it did not amount to undue influence because at all times, I felt that the decision was mine, ultimately mine to make, she said.

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Ms Brown was required to give evidence in person this morning. (abcnews)

Labor MLC Daniel Mookhey Ms Brown asked whether this meant the Americas position was put “on a slightly separate path” to other similar roles around the globe, to which she replied “yes”.

“I think it was a pragmatic piece of advice from me that we couldn’t fill the role for some time and his response was, ‘well then it makes sense to keep it vacant,’ she told the inquiry.

“I think we both concluded, given everything that had happened, it would be sensible to go back to market when we were ready to put a contract on the table and when we could take stock of where things were at.”

Mr Ayres, who maintains he has done nothing wrong throughout the process, this morning resigned from the NSW ministry, after weeks of being linked to Mr Barilaro’s appointment.

Mr Barilaro’s appointment has been put under the microscope for several weeks and is the subject of two separate inquiries.

He has since withdrawn from the $500,000-a-year position.

Mr Barilaro is due to appear before the inquiry on Monday.

Premier Dominic Perrottet has also ordered a separate review into the recruitment process for the role.

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Categories
Australia

Liberals deputy leader Stuart Ayres defends actions over US trade appointment

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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.

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.

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro
John Barilaro will appear before the inquiry into his appointment next week. (AAP: Joel Carrett)

“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.

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