Former NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro will contest charges he assaulted a news camera operator and damaged equipment, a court has been told.
Barilaro, 51, was not required to appear at Manly Local Court on Wednesday when his lawyer entered pleas of not guilty on the former deputy premier's behalf.
"We're not lying down on this one," lawyer Danny Eid told reporters.
Barilaro, who resigned from parliament in October 2021, was charged after the altercation with freelance cameraman Matt Costello outside a bar in Manly on July 23.
Footage circulated online shows the pair struggling as they grab and push one another while Costello tries to film the former politician, who then walks away.
Barilaro later confirmed the incident, saying he was confronted in the dark outside a bar and felt harassed during a night out with friends.
"To come out and have a camera shoved in your face. I'm a private citizen," he told 2GB in July.
"All I did was push a camera out of my way. I did not manhandle an individual."
He was charged in late August with assaulting Costello and intentionally or recklessly damaging his Sony PXW-X180 camera.
Prosecutors have until November 9 to serve the brief on Barilaro's lawyer.
The matter will return to Manly Local Court on December 7 for reply.
Barilaro has been engulfed in scandal since 2021 after taking defamation action against provocative entertainer Jordan Shanks better known by his nom de plume, friendlyjordies.
He settled that case out of court but the former Nationals leader returned to the spotlight this year when questions were raised about how he was appointed to a $500,000-a-year government trade job in New York.
Barilaro said he did nothing wrong by applying for the job.
An independent inquiry found a senior public servant was indirectly influenced by former trade minister Stuart Ayres' preference over who should get the New York-based role.
