Australia news live: no colleagues raised concerns about job application, John Barilaro tells inquiry

Barilaro: ‘I wish I had never applied’ for trade job and ‘walked into shit show’

John Barilaro is asked whether he still believes he was afforded the same appointment process as other candidates. He says he couldn’t comment, but adds:

I will say this, if I knew what I know now I wish I had never applied. If I knew what I knew now I wouldn’t have walked into a shit show. And I will use those terms because the trauma I have experienced in the past few weeks is significant.

He had withdrawn from the appointment process about 23-24 February. He said he had been accepted for a job with a property company, Coronation Property, and had a looming defamation case against Youtuber Friendlyjordies.

I just at that point felt like I don’t need to do this, I now have a really good job, I am comfortable with what was being offered as an executive director at Coronation Property. I thought I would withdraw.

He then left Coronation Property when he was offered the trade role.

Barilaro is then asked whether he was lobbying government for Coronation Property. He says he had special dispensation from the ethics advisor to take the role. But he says it’s unfair to describe his job as “lobbying” government.

I didn’t come here prepared to answer questions in relation to my role as an executive director with Coronation. Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro gives evidence during the inquiry into his appointment as senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas at NSW Parliament House. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated at 21.09 EDT

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Barilaro tells inquiry he was surprised to have been selected

John Barilaro says he did not seek the advice of the parliamentary ethics adviser before applying for the job. The inquiry hears this wasn’t a requirement, but was an option available to him.

He is asked whether anyone ever expressed concern to him about his application for the job.

No one, no one. Ever.

He says he went through a public service appointment process with an independent panel.

He says he was surprised to have been selected.

I was surprised to have gotten through, like anybody else would have been surprised.

Barilaro says this wasn’t a “jobs for the boys” situation.

This was a public service job. I applied for it.

He says he had no idea about flaws with the process that saw him appointed.

If I had [known] about the mess that I had walked into, in terms of the process, [I wouldn’t have done it]… I didn’t seek out special treatment, I went through a public service process, and that’s what I believe I did.

Updated at 21.25 EDT

Barilaro tells inquiry he can understand West’s trauma

John Barilaro is being asked about contacting Arthur Sinodinos, the ambassador to the US, about obtaining a reference for the trade role.

He says he had Sinodinos’s mobile phone number. He also contacted Sinodinos through his assistant to set up a phone hook-up.

The line of questioning about the Sinodinos interactions is interrupted.

Barilaro is then asked whether he acknowledges the trauma Jenny West faced, after having the job given to her and then taken away and told it was to be made by ministerial appointment.

Barilaro says he can understand her trauma:

She would have been making the same decisions that I was starting to make, and then it gets flipped, so I can understand that.

Barilaro again rejects the suggestion that he created the job for himself.

I absolutely reject that I somehow created these jobs … for my own self-purpose.

Updated at 21.21 EDT

Greens want Labor to go further on social housing

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather has responded to the housing minister, Julie Collins’s call for Australians to stop resisting public housing and help find a solution for homelessness “in their backyard”.

Chandler-Mather told ABC Radio:

It’s good that the federal government wants to talk about building more social housing but I think the major problem with their plan is it won’t even come close to touching the sides of the issue that we’re facing. Of that 30,000 homes over five years that they’re talking about, only 20,000 are touted as social homes. To put that in perspective, just the social housing waitlist alone right now is over 160,000 households nationwide. It increases by about 7,000 homes per year. Labor’s plan will only see 4,000 social homes built per year. So not only will they not decrease the waitlist, under their plan the waitlists will actually increase …

The rhetoric is not matching the reality of their plan. For some reason for our political class it’s become acceptable to leave hundreds of thousands of people waiting for an affordable home and that’s something that the Greens are going to be focusing on and hopefully work with the government to dial up that number over the next few years.

Chandler-Mather argued the government could afford to do more, citing the stage three income tax cuts set to cost $224bn over 10 years.

Updated at 21.19 EDT

Barilaro asked about role with Coronation Property

The questions are continuing about John Barilaro’s role with Coronation Property, which he took up after parliament. He is asked who he met with in government as a representative of the property company.

He says he met with the NSW building commissioner. Asked about the context of that meeting, he says it was organised after Coronation Property was issued with a breach notice. But he says the breach notice was not the subject of the meeting.

He said the meeting was designed to “get a feel for Coronation” from the building commissioner.

Barilaro is getting frustrated by this line of questioning, saying he was not prepared to ask questions about the Coronation job.

Labor’s Daniel Mookhey asks whether his role with Coronation created a conflict of interest. He asks Barilaro whether he declared his job with Coronation to Investment NSW while he applied for the job.

Barilaro:

Why would I?

Mookhey:

For the very simple reason, that might be a material matter for them.

Barliaro:

No I’m sorry, but I disagree with that entirely. Barilaro: ‘I wish I had never applied’ for trade job and ‘walked into shit show’

John Barilaro is asked whether he still believes he was afforded the same appointment process as other candidates. He says he couldn’t comment, but adds:

I will say this, if I knew what I know now I wish I had never applied. If I knew what I knew now I wouldn’t have walked into a shit show. And I will use those terms because the trauma I have experienced in the past few weeks is significant.

He had withdrawn from the appointment process about 23-24 February. He said he had been accepted for a job with a property company, Coronation Property, and had a looming defamation case against Youtuber Friendlyjordies.

I just at that point felt like I don’t need to do this, I now have a really good job, I am comfortable with what was being offered as an executive director at Coronation Property. I thought I would withdraw.

He then left Coronation Property when he was offered the trade role.

Barilaro is then asked whether he was lobbying government for Coronation Property. He says he had special dispensation from the ethics advisor to take the role. But he says it’s unfair to describe his job as “lobbying” government.

I didn’t come here prepared to answer questions in relation to my role as an executive director with Coronation. Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro gives evidence during the inquiry into his appointment as senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas at NSW Parliament House. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated at 21.09 EDT

Barilaro denies he attempted to change appointment process, inquiry hears

John Barilaro has rejected a suggestion that he attempted to change the statutory appointment process – making it a ministerial appointment process – to facilitate the giving of overseas trade roles to ex-MPs.

I reject all. that, I reject that statement and I reject that accusation. The government decided, the cabinet of the day decided they wanted to elevate these statuses. There was plenty of debate. I recall the debate in that room and the support was significant.

He said the push to change the appointment process was purely concerned with attracting a better calibre of candidates.

Barilaro is asked whether the change was designed to benefit him.

Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

The inquiry hears that Barilaro signed a brief in August confirming that Jenny West was the preferred candidate for the role. Barilaro says he wasn’t aware of the brief, despite his signature being on it. He is asked if that is seriously his evidence.

Barilaro:

It is. I wouldn’t say that under oath if I didn’t believe that to be the case. As the minister I will take responsibility. My e-signature was used therefore that note stands and I have to accept that Jenny West was a candidate.

Updated at 20.58 EDT

Barilaro responds to fast-tracking cabinet submission

Barilaro is being asked why a cabinet submission was rushed through to make overseas trade roles by ministerial appointment. Barilaro said he was “pleasantly surprised” at the speed with which the cabinet submission was considered. He said it came back within a week to 10 days. He is asked why he wanted it processed “ASAP”.

Everything is ASAP. I don’t sit back. I’m a minister that just gets on with the job so the timing may look to this forum and the public may look like it is rushed through. A comment like ASAP, I was pleasantly surprised that the parliament was able to turn around a cabinet submission so quickly. Sometimes if the agendas align you can get things onto the agenda quickly. The premier has the sign off on this getting on to the cabinet agenda. By luck or chance this particular cab sub got on to the agenda and approved by the cabinet.

Barilaro says he never knew that Jenny West had been chosen as the successful candidate for the role. He described the timing as unfortunate for West.

I was a big fan of Jenny West. I will make this absolutely clear in this forum. She was a strong professional, a fantastic public servant and someone that did a fantastic job for me in that role. So I have in issue with Miss Jenny West but the clash of timelines unfortunately has interrupted what was – now that I understand she was offered a job.

Barilaro is asked whether he had any conversation or meeting with Investment NSW chief Amy Brown about the role. He said he did not have any contact with her until she called to congratulate him on the role.

Updated at 20.47 EDT

Barilaro says he did not know Jenny West was offered job, inquiry hears

John Barilaro is asked when he decided to leave politics. He said he first thought about leaving in budget week in 2021. But he said the resurgence of Covid kept him in parliament.

He said the resignation of former premier Gladys Berejiklian was the catalyst for his decision.

The decision to leave on 4 October was a decision that I made only spontaneously after the premier, Gladys Berejiklian, resigned on the Friday. In my mind I thought ‘This is an opportunity for me to leave, when is it the right time to leave?’ There will be just another crisis or another wave and I thought it was time for a refreshed leadership and speaking to friends and family and I indicated earlier it was actually by coincidence that minister Stokes rang me, at the time he was nominating to be the leader of the Liberal party, he was ringing to check in to if I had any objection to that and the conversation turned to I’m not sure I would be hanging around. After that conversation I made up my mind I am going to leave and on the Monday I made the announcement.

Barilaro said there had been many discussions within government about elevating trade roles to ambassadorial positions to attract a higher level of candidate. He also says he knew Jenny West was a candidate, but says he did not know she was offered a job.

I am making that absolutely clear today. I remember in the leadership meeting, either between myself, the premier the treasurer and my deputy in this particular leadership meeting I recall it was the premier and that is premier Gladys Berejiklian and treasurer Perrottet and myself, I raised the idea that should we be elevating these positions to statutory appointments. Jenny West speaks during the inquiry on 11 July. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated at 20.44 EDT

Barilaro told Perrottet he applied for job during random encounter, inquiry hears

Barilaro said that he ran into premier Dominic Perrottet randomly in Martin Place, Sydney, in the early months of this year and raised the fact that he had applied for the job. Asked about the discussion, Barilaro said it was short:

Chat about my wellbeing, his wellbeing, everything else, how it was all going, hadn’t really spoken since the reshuffle, I don’t believe. And then I mentioned to him I had applied so it must have been post the application, so late – end of January, early February.

That was the last interaction he had with the premier about the issue, Barilaro said.He also spoke to Stuart Ayres, the former trade minister, after Ayres resigned over the affair last week.

He wished me all the best. And indicated how he can’t believe what has occurred. He seems hurt. He resigned his post. That’s all it was. John Barilaro gives evidence on Monday morning. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated at 20.38 EDT

Barilaro tells inquiry he raised job with treasurer before Christmas

What we’re hearing about the interaction between Barilaro and treasurer Matt Kean about the job is new.

Barilaro said he raised it with Kean just before Christmas. He says he was not testing Kean to see whether he would push back on the appointment.

He said Kean expressed no opposition to Barilaro taking such a role.

Yep. He would have told me bluntly if he thought it was going to be an issue for sure.

Labor’s Daniel Mookhey says:

He never did?

Barilaro:

No one ever raised with me anything that this would be politically sensitive.

Updated at 20.26 EDT

No colleagues raised concerns about application, Barilaro says

John Barilaro tells the inquiry that no one raised any concern about him applying for the role. He said he inquired with Stuart Ayres, the former trade minister, in December about the job. The job was not vacant at that point.

Labor’s Daniel Mookhey says:

Do you understand that any other person that might be interested in fulfilling this role might not have had the opportunity to pick up the phone to minister for trade and say, “Hey can you give me an update as to who’s going on with this job?”

Barilaro:

That’s a fair statement.

Mookhey:

Do you think perhaps minister Ayres should have declined to provide that information to you?

Barilaro:

He could have but that’s a question for minister Ayres.

Barliaro also says he raised the potential job with treasurer Matt Kean. He did that in December as well. He said he was texted that he was “considering applying for the trade role”.

Updated at 20.24 EDT

Barilaro questioned about recruitment

Labor’s Daniel Mookhey is questioning Barilaro on the specifics of his recruitment for the New York trade commissioner post. Mookhey is seeking detail on when Barilaro first decided to pursue the role. Barilaro says it was “late last year”. Mookhey:

When you say, “Late last year” after your resignation you are referring to your resignation as deputy premier and as minister for trade?

Barilaro:

That is correct.

Barilaro said he formed an interest in the role himself, rather than being encouraged.

No, I formed that idea myself. There’s been lots of speculation that I was offered an opportunity outside, if I was to leave, but that’s not correct. I was looking at options and you know that I resigned quite suddenly because of the opportunity arose when the premier resigned and when you don’t get – your feet don’t hit the ground you sort of get swept up in that whirlwind. I came to an idea that that was an option that I would pursue.

Barilaro said he had numerous conversations with both premier Dominic Perrottet and Stuart Ayres, former deputy Liberal leader, about the role. Barilaro said he initiated the conversations with Perrottet.

Mookhey notes that Barilaro was flagging an interest in the role before it was even open. Barilaro said he was flagging the idea in general of a trade role, rather than expressing interest in an existing and open role.

No one knew that it was open. It doesn’t mean you don’t flag it. That role could have opened in six, month, three months, 12 months or two years. No one knew. I flagged the option of a trade role. Shadow treasurer Daniel Mookhey MLC asks questions during the inquiry into the appointment of John Barilaro on Monday. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated at 20.33 EDT