John Barilaro pulls out of second appearance at NSW inquiry into his appointment to trade role

John Barilaro has pulled out of a second appearance at an inquiry investigating his appointment to a plum trade role in New York City due to illness.

The former NSW deputy premier was due to front the inquiry on Friday to face further questions over his controversial appointment to the overseas trade job.

A parliamentary committee has been examining how he got the role, which was created while he was the state’s trade minister.

Mr Barilaro was appointed to the position despite a senior bureaucrat at the state’s investment agency earlier being identified as a preferred candidate.

He stepped down from the role as senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas less than two weeks after his appointment was announced in June.

Mr Barilaro told the inquiry during his first appearance on Monday that he did not believe he had done anything wrong, but he regretted ever applying for the role.

‘If I knew what I know now, I wouldn’t have walked into what was a s***show,’ he said.

‘Because the trauma I have gone through the last six, seven weeks has been significant.’

Committee chair Cate Faehrmann said on Thursday that Mr Barilaro had been asked to give further evidence as there remained questions to be answered about the transparency of the appointment process for his and other trade commissioner roles.

The committee has expanded the terms of reference for its inquiry and is now investigating the appointment of all the state’s trade commissioners.

Labor has pledged to abolish the roles if it wins the March state election.

Parts of the inquiry have also focused on the appointment of former Business Australia executive Stephen Cartwright as the London agent-general.

On Monday, the inquiry heard from Investment NSW chief executive Amy Brown that Mr Cartwright had threatened to go over her head to ‘the minister or premier’ during protracted contract negotiations as he sought to increase his salary package to about $800,000.

‘A salary that high for any public-service role is ridiculous,’ Ms Brown said.

Penny Sharpe MLC and Daniel Mookhey MLC question John Barilaro during his first appearance before the inquiry at NSW Parliament House on August 5

On Tuesday, text messages between Ms Brown and other government department secretaries were revealed, showing their reaction to news reports of Mr Barilaro’s appointment in June.

‘This isn’t great,’ Ms Brown wrote on June 20, sharing a news article flagging the inquiry that she has now appeared in front of on three separate occasions.

Mr Barilaro’s appointment is also subject to a Department of Premier and Cabinet review led by former NSW public commissioner Graeme Head.

A draft excerpt of his report prompted Stuart Ayres to resign from cabinet and as deputy Liberal leader.

Another review, led by prominent lawyer and former ICAC inspector Bruce McClintock, will examine whether Mr Ayres breached the ministerial code of conduct.