Documents released to the NSW parliament have contradicted previous claims made by the Premier and Trade Minister about the US trade commissioner recruitment process.
The documents reveal briefing notes were sent to then-treasurer Dominic Perrottet, Trade Minister Stuart Ayres and former deputy premier John Barilaro and stated a successful candidate had been picked for the plum New York-based trade commissioner role last year.
The notes contradict previous claims by Mr Perrottet and Mr Ayres that they were told there wasn't a suitable candidate identified in the first recruitment round.
Almost identical briefing notes were sent to all three ministers to notify them of the "outcome of the recruitment search for a STIC (Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner) Americas" in August 2021.
"Note the selection of Ms Jenny West as the successful candidate for the STIC — Americas," the briefing note said.
Jenny West, a former senior bureaucrat within Investment NSW, was verbally offered the job in August last year but the offer was rescinded the following month after the government changed the recruitment process.
Mr Barilaro successfully took a submission to cabinet to change the trade commissioner roles into ministerial appointments.
He successfully applied for the New York job after leaving politics in a second recruitment round.
However, last month he announced he would withdraw from the job, which comes with a $500,000 annual salary package, following intense scrutiny over the recruitment process.
The documents released to the parliament show neither Mr Barilaro nor Mr Perrottet signed the briefing note but Mr Ayres did.
An email chain between a staffer from Investment NSW, which was overseeing the recruitment process, and a staffer from the Treasurer's office has also been released.
In the emails, it is acknowledged that Mr Perrottet's office received the briefing note on August 13, 2021.
Two weeks ago, Mr Perrottet said he had no knowledge of the briefing note.
Speaking from Seoul in South Korea, the Premier said he wasn't going to provide commentary on the new documents.
"Things in isolation can always look challenging," he said.
"But until I have all the information I can't comment."
He maintains the advice he received from the department responsible was that there was "no suitable candidate".
Mr Perrottet also repeated that he has "no recollection of receiving that briefing note".
He also backed Mr Ayres.
"Mr Ayres is a very strong Minister in the New South Wales government," the Premier said.
"He's a very good Trade Minister."
In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Ayres acknowledged the briefing note he received but said it did not seek a decision from him.
"I would also like to make clear that this brief does not represent the end of the recruitment process. That could only be determined by the CEO of Investment NSW as this is public service appointment," he said.
Mr Ayres added that "this is consistent with ... the information I provided to the Legislative Assembly during question time".
The documents released on Tuesday were produced under a parliamentary order after the opposition accused the government of delaying the release of paperwork.
The Opposition worked with some crossbench members to recall the upper house on Friday, during winter break, because the paperwork hadn't been handed over.
The government subsequently provided the documents last night.
It's unclear whether parliament will still sit on Friday.
