NSW trade rep had US office shuttered after announcement of New York role later given to John Barilaro

The NSW government was paying $584,000 a year for a San Fransisco office until it shifted its focus to New York while John Barilaro was trade minister. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

A New South Wales trade commissioner based in San Francisco was forced to work out of the front room of his home after the government closed its office on the west coast of the US in favour of a new base in New York.

Guardian Australia can reveal that until September 2019 the NSW government was paying about $584,000-a-year for its San Fransisco trade operations, before shifting its focus to New York as part of the Global NSW strategy announced while John Barilaro was the minister for trade.