John Barilaro’s dodgy appointment to a $500,000 NSW Government job in New York will face an NSW Parliament Upper House inquiry on Wednesday next week (29/6/22) but the media are failing to report some key facts of corruption.
John Barilaro resigned as the NSW Deputy Premier on the 4th of October 2021 which was 3 days after Gladys Berejiklian resigned as NSW Premier because of the secret relationship she had with another MP, Daryl Maguire. John Barilaro’s secret relationship with staffers is, without doubt, a key reason why he also resigned which is likely to come under public scrutiny in the next few weeks. (Click here to read more)
Currently, evidence shows that as he was on the way out the door as Deputy Premier Barilaro lined himself up a $500,000 government job that he had organised himself while he was Deputy Premier and that is what the inquiry will dig into. The Terms of Reference for the inquiry into John Barilaro’s appointment to the New York job are:
The circumstances leading up to the appointment.
The process undertaken to make the appointment.
The probity and integrity measures that were undertaken as part of the appointment.
There have been serious allegations made against John Barilaro such as fraud, theft, perjury and the concealment of numerous sexual affairs with staffers which breached the Ministerial Code of Conduct and most if not all are under investigation at the NSW ICAC. When the inquiry gets to point 3 “The probity and integrity measures that were undertaken as part of the appointment” these serious allegations are going to have to be raised. And when they are raised it will have to be determined how the government ignored them given they raise serious questions about John Barilaro’s probity and integrity.
On the 26th of October 2021 I published an article titled: Gladys Berejiklian’s barrister flags going the nuclear option and start naming all NSW politicians who have had undeclared “intimate personal relationships” which starts off:
Gladys Berejiklian’s barrister Sophie Callan, SC, flagged at the NSW ICAC on Monday (25/10/21) that they will be going the nuclear option and start naming all NSW politicians who have had undeclared “intimate personal relationships”, in a blatant attempt to use the “they did it too” defence, so Gladys Berejiklian’s secret relationship with corrupt former MP Daryl Maguire doesn’t look so bad.
Former NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro was on the witness stand at ICAC on Monday and Sophie Callan, SC, didn’t hold back and repeatedly asked Mr Barilaro whether he had declared all “intimate personal relationships” while he was an MP. Mr Barilaro didn’t do himself any favours by ducking and weaving and failing to give a straight answer to the question even though he was asked multiple times as per the below video. (Click here to read the article)
I have received a few anonymous tips from a person I’ll call Deep Throat (Yes, I know it’s not original as it’s from Watergate) about John Barilaro and his alleged crimes. They recently sent me the below which is consistent with why John Barilaro was ducking and weaving on the witness stand as per the above video.
From Deep Throat:
John Barilaro had two intimate relationships with persons other than his wife – from 2017 to 2019 with a Ministerial Staffer from another Minister’s Office and from 2020 with another Ministerial Staffer, from his office, with whom he is currently partnered. He announced his split with his wife in late 2021. He lied to the ICAC.
This is a matter of integrity and material to the appointment of a senior public servant.
Let’s talk about “probity and integrity measures”… Here are some questions for the inquiry…
Did Investment NSW, who oversaw the recruitment for the New York position, investigate well-known reports that Mr Barilaro was involved in intimate personal relationships with Ministerial staffers from 2017 to 2019 and from 2020 to 2021?
Did Investment NSW investigate well-known reports that Mr Barilaro arranged employment for women, other than his wife, that he was having intimate personal relationships with?
Did Investment NSW investigate well-known reports that Mr Barilaro travelled interstate with women, other than his wife, that he was having intimate personal relationships with?
Did Investment NSW investigate well-known reports that Mr Barilaro wined and dined, using the NSW Government’s credit card, with Ministerial staffers that he was involved in intimate personal relationships with?
Did Investment NSW consider that the ICAC is yet to hand down its report into Operation Keppell where John Barilaro was a witness and believed by many to have perjured himself? Shouldn’t Investment NSW at a minimum waited until the ICAC handed down its report before considering Mr Barilaro for any appointment?
On the 15th of December 2021, I published an article titled “John Barilaro accused of perjury regarding his alleged multiple affairs in evidence sent to the NSW ICAC” which has a letter from NSW ICAC saying that John Barilaro’s alleged “failure to declare a relationship” “will assist with the ongoing work of the commission”. (Click here to read the article and letter)
It also has to be noted that John Barilaro is currently under investigation by the NSW ICAC for dodgy payments made by John Barilaro as a Minister to a company associated with federal MP Angus Taylor. Until NSW ICAC finish those investigations Barilaro shouldn’t be leaving the country long-term. (Click here to read more)
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet holds his own dodgy inquiry
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has copied Scott Morrison’s playbook and set up his own inquiry to investigate John Barilaro’s appointment to the New York job as apparently, Dominic Perrottet didn’t know what he knew and when he knew it so he needs someone else to tell him.
The irony is that one of the key objectives for John Barilaro going to New York would have been to avoid further investigations of his conduct by the NSW ICAC but now his corrupt conduct will face further scrutiny because of his latest scam to steal the $500,000 New York job for himself. And it is stealing the job as it had been offered to someone else before it was taken away from her because John Barilaro decided he wanted it.
Once the NSW Upper House inquiry is finished, they should hand over all the evidence to the NSW ICAC for further investigation and possible recommendations of criminal charges.
