NSW committee sends West testimony to ICAC

Phoebe Loomes | July 12, 2022

Testimony related to the controversial appointment of former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro to a lucrative trade job in New York will be considered by the state’s corruption watchdog.

Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, who heads an upper house parliamentary committee investigating the appointment process, said the testimony from the original preferred candidate, Jenny West, will be sent to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Ms Faehrmann said the committee had agreed Ms West’s opening statement should be forwarded to the ICAC given the serious nature of the allegations.

“At this stage, it is not a formal referral by the Public Accountability Committee,” she told AAP on Tuesday.

Ms West, the former deputy secretary at Investment NSW, on Monday gave explosive testimony before the committee sitting in the state’s parliament.

Ms West told the inquiry she was offered the $500,000 job as the state’s Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner to the Americas last August, before being told in October by Investment NSW CEO Amy Brown she no longer had the three-year position.

“Ms Brown said that the position – and this is a quote – ‘will be a present for someone’,” Ms West said.

Mr Barilaro, the former Nationals leader, resigned from parliament last year and was named earlier this year named as the successful candidate, before withdrawing last month amid a political storm.

An ICAC spokeswoman told AAP “the commission cannot confirm or deny if it has received referrals, or whether it is considering or undertaking investigations”.

Ms West told the inquiry she felt “so confused” and “shocked” when Ms Brown told her she no longer had the New York job and would also be made redundant from her current job.

Ms West was told her appointment was rescinded because the government had decided trade commissioner roles would no longer be the remit of the public service.

Trade Minister Stuart Ayres issued a statement on Monday rejecting “any suggestion I exerted political influence on the recruitment process”.

“I did not say the job was to be a ‘present’ for anyone and I find that idea to be offensive,” he said.

“All my actions have been to ensure the independence of the public service during this recruitment process.

“Amy Brown is and was the decision-maker for this role.”

A spokesperson for Premier Dominic Perrottet said the appointment was a matter for Investment NSW.

“Advice provided by Investment NSW Chief Executive Amy Brown was that there was no suitable candidate for the role in the first round of recruitment. This was reaffirmed in her evidence on June 29,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Penny Sharpe, the leader of the opposition in the NSW upper house and a committee member, says the evidence points to “something really rotten at the core of what’s happening NSW”.

“The idea that these types of positions are being given out as presents to mates is something that the community hates,” she told Sydney radio 2GB on Tuesday.

“It really is explosive and worrying evidence that we heard yesterday,” and there were “so many questions” Mr Ayres needed to answer.

“His role throughout this entire process has been extremely murky,” she said.

Ms Brown also had more questions to answer about the process in light of Ms West’s evidence.

“Labor believes she should be stood down until the inquiry has finished,” she said.