The appointment of former New South Wales deputy premier John Barilaro to a highly paid trade job that he created while in government will be probed by an upper house inquiry.
Barilaro was tapped for the $500,000-a-year senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas on Friday. He created the position when he was trade minister.
The state’s treasurer, Matt Kean, defended the appointment and insisted proper process had been followed.
The opposition leader, Chris Minns, accused the premier, Dominic Perrottet, of making a “captain’s pick”.
“He will be held accountable for it,” he said.
“How can you get appointed to a high-paying trade commissioner job – a job set up by John Barilaro before he left office – without that appointment going to cabinet?”
Investment NSW said the appointment followed “a lengthy and competitive global search process” and was not required to go to cabinet for approval.
“Candidates were shortlisted and assessed on a range of measures including suitability for the role, qualifications, skills and experience,” an Investment NSW spokesperson said.
The Centre for Public Integrity’s executive director, Han Aulby, said there needed to be transparency in public appointments, including clear and transparent criteria and a selection panel made of senior public servants, including the public service commissioner.
“The panel should report to the public on the chosen candidate’s qualifications and experience, with an assurance that the candidate meets the selection criteria,” Aulby said.
“Public appointments are paid by the taxpayer to work in the public interest. Trust in the merit and independence of these appointments is crucial.”
The appointment will be put under the microscope at an upper house inquiry to be established later this week. The inquiry will review other applications, any conflicts of interest that arose during the process and if ministers were given the chance to provide feedback.
Senior ministers came out in support of the appointment on Monday, with Kean saying Barilaro “appears qualified to be a trade commissioner” given his previous role as trade minister.
Asked if it was appropriate that the appointment did not get cabinet signoff and what the “proper process” was, Kean said he supported the process being followed.
“The usual process where people apply for a position – that’s interrogated by appropriately qualified public servants and they make recommendations,” he said.
“I’ve been informed that the proper process has been followed.”
The job boasts a $450,000 salary, excluding superannuation, as well as a $112,950 annual cost-of-living allowance and relocation costs.
The health minister, Brad Hazzard, said he “fortuitously [knows] nothing about the appointment” but also supported the proper process being followed.
“He’s obviously qualified,” Hazzard said.
“It’s been done through the process that is normal, and that’s the outcome.”
Over the weekend, Perrottet also defended the appointment, insisting the former minister was the best candidate to emerge from an $18,ooo recruitment search.
“It doesn’t come as any surprise to me that the independent process that occurred [found] that he was by far the most outstanding candidate and was recommended by that panel to the government,” Perrottet said.
“I’m sure he will do a brilliant job.”
Barilaro has repeatedly made headlines in recent years – notably threatening to blow up the state coalition when he was the leader of the Nationals in 2020 over a difference in koala policy.
More recently he was awarded $715,000 in his defamation case against Google over a series of “racist” and “abusive” videos published on YouTube channel Friendlyjordies.
Barilaro has been contacted for comment.
