Andrew Ayres’s appointment of Mark Barilaro as trade minister sparks controversy

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Andrew Ayres’s appointment of Mark Barilaro as trade minister sparks controversy

If you're confused and feeling confused, you're not alone. This story has a lot of moving parts.

In October of last year, he was the deputy prime minister of NSW but retired due to the pressures of public life.

He applied for the US trade role in January 2022 and his appointment was announced in June. An inquiry into his selection was announced a few weeks later, and he withdrew from the position.

Last week he told the inquiry he wished he never applied for the job and was disappointed that the recruitment process wasn't as clean as he thought it was.

He was the trade minister for NSW until he resigned from his portfolios and leadership position two weeks ago.

His resignation came after a review of Mr Barilaro's appointment raised concerns about Mr Ayres' involvement.

The review found issues with the amount of contact between Mr Ayres and Amy Brown, CEO of Investment NSW, who is responsible for recruiting the trade roles.

Mr Ayres maintains that he was at arm's length from the recruitment but admits he should have advised Mr Barilaro not to apply.

She was the CEO of Investment NSW and said she had the final say in hiring Mr Barilaro.

She has told the inquiry three times, and said that Mr Barilaro's selection was not done at arm's length from the government, particularly Mr Ayres.

She says Mr Ayres had a high level of interest in the role, but she is adamant that he did not want to interfere.

Ms Brown said she was nervous to give Mr Barilaro the job because of his history with the government.