A finding by a NSW parliamentary inquiry criticising Premier Dominic Perrottet for inappropriately influencing the state government’s hunt for a UK trade commissioner was changed at the last minute to instead lay the blame squarely on former deputy premier John Barilaro.
Minutes from a committee meeting last Friday reveal the inner workings of the parliamentary committee as it finalised a report into the controversial hiring of UK agent-general Stephen Cartwright.
The minutes reveal the committee was going to make a finding that “the then treasurer Dominic Perrottet and former deputy premier John Barilaro inappropriately influenced the recruitment of the agent-general UK position”.
However, Labor’s Treasury spokesman and committee member Daniel Mookhey successfully moved that the line be changed to remove the reference to Perrottet, while leaving the rest intact. The final report criticised Perrottet for “imped[ing] the committee’s ability to determine his role in the selection” of Cartwright because of his “refusal to assist in this inquiry”.
Sources told Crikey the reference to Perrottet allegedly inappropriately influencing the recruitment process was removed because the committee didn’t have enough evidence to support it, due to the fact the premier never appeared before the inquiry.
The earlier version was drafted by chair and Greens MP Cate Faehrmann along with committee staff. “I was happy to support Labor’s amendments considering they did do a lot of work bringing issues around the appointment of the UK agent-general to light,” she told Crikey.
Perrottet declined to participate in the inquiry via a letter sent by his office to the committee in July 2022.
The inquiry into Cartwright’s recruitment began last year as a probe into the way the NSW government had hired Barilaro to a similar trade position in New York. Another report that looked specifically at Barilaro’s recruitment was published earlier this month and slammed it as having “all the trademarks of a ‘jobs for the boys’ position”.
Barilaro, who was the NSW trade minister when the foreign trade posts were created, was accused in the new report, released on Monday, of having allegedly “inappropriately interfered” in Cartwright’s hiring process by “failing to meet” another candidate who was initially preferred for the role, and instead “directly approaching [Cartwright] and soliciting his candidacy”.
“John Barilaro’s decision to canvas [sic] Mr Cartwright’s remuneration expectations, even though he had not yet applied, was highly inappropriate and showed poor judgment,” the report said.
The report also faulted Cartwright for allegedly “repeatedly” trying to “pressure” public servants into ensuring he was paid an unusually high salary, and as the Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade (DEIT) said, “erred by agreeing to adjust Mr Cartwright’s remuneration arrangement, which resulted in a poor financial outcome” for the state.
Cartwright “strongly denied that he requested or demanded a salary of $800,000”, the report said. He is being paid $487,000 as a base salary, plus a $11,839 cost-of-living allowance. He has also received tax breaks worth a yearly $107,859, plus a one-off reallocation allowance capped at $60,000, the report said.
The report recommended the secretary of DEIT should investigate whether Cartwright had abided by a code of conduct applicable to the senior executive service. DEIT told Crikey the department would be “reviewing the report and its recommendation”.
Cartwright has previously given evidence to the committee, defending his appointment: “My qualifications for this role are unable to be challenged … I’m crystal clear that three highly impressive senior independent panel members decided that I was the most suitable person for this role based on merit.”
Barilaro, who gave up the job shortly after he was hired, has also fronted the inquiry, where he strongly denied any wrongdoing and said he had been deemed a “capable … credible” candidate: “There’s no evidence in this hearing that points to me that I did seek, sought, pressured, public servants in any way. None. Zero.”
On Monday Perrottet dismissed the report’s findings and said Barilaro had acted appropriately, the Australian Associated Press reported. “This is typical of Labor, back in the upper house playing more games,” he said.
Committee member and Nationals MP Wes Fang also dismissed the report’s findings and said the report had failed to make “any substantive findings”: “This report is nothing more than several pre-manufactured Labor findings, seeking a justification.”
The meeting’s minutes, which were included at the bottom of Monday’s report, show Fang and two Liberal colleagues, Scott Farlow and Taylor Martin, attempted to strike the report’s first two findings altogether, including one that blamed Barilaro for “inappropriately” discussing remuneration with Cartwright. They were voted down by the Labor and Greens committee members.
“This committee’s report ignores these facts, and has simply made up its findings in an attempt to score political points. Its findings should be rejected,” the three Coalition members wrote in a dissenting statement included in the report.
