Ayres was to have final say on Barilaro — and Barilaro’s interview report was changed

The latest batch of documents relating to John Barilaro’s appointment as trade commissioner in New York show Trade Minister Stuart Ayres was identified as the main decision-maker for the role, and the former deputy premier initially came second in the recruitment process. But two months later the final report had been changed to elevate Barilaro to first position over the top candidate.

Ayres has insisted the appointment of Barilaro was conducted at arm’s length from the government. However, an email released today from Investment NSW executive Kylie Bell from February 13 says “Amy [Brown, secretary of Investment NSW] and the Minister have confirmed the shortlist for the interviews for the STIC New York and Shanghai roles” and then proposes interview panel arrangements for those roles. In relation to the New York role, Bell writes that the panel will “make recommendations for the Minister. 2 candidates will then be submitted for his consideration”.

If those arrangements proceeded, Ayres would have been the effective decision-maker in the selection process that resulted in Barilaro’s selection.

Barilaro was interviewed on March 15, after the government abandoned the previous selection process for the lucrative New York job despite Brown telling the successful candidate, Jenny West, that she would not be given the position. According to West, Brown told her she was withdrawing the offer of the position as it would be a “present for someone”.

In a document dated March 23, the selection panel rated Barilaro second out of four candidates — he “exceeded” the criteria “Influence and Negotiate” and “Deliver Results” but only “met” the criteria “Works Collaboratively” and “Manage and Develop People”.

But in the final selection panel report, dated June 15, after Barilaro had been awarded the position, he has been elevated to first position among the candidates, his score on “Manage and Develop People” had been upgraded and two of the top candidate’s scores had been downgraded.

The selection panel — which included Brown — was initially tepid about Barilaro, noting that he had “good commercial acumen and financial literacy” from his role in Queanbeyan timber business Ryleho and that he was a “clear and articulate communicator”.

But in the June 15 report, the panel is far more enthusiastic about Barilaro, describing him as having “highly relevant experience for the role”, making much of how his Ryleho experience gave him both the international experience and business skills to succeed and detailing how his political experience made him suitable for the role. Why he had been crucially upgraded on “Manage and Develop People”, which was enough to edge him past the previous top-ranked candidate after the latter had had two scores reduced, isn’t explained.

Ayres said this morning that the process revealed by the documents shows it was “a normal exercise, a normal interaction between a secretary and a minister” and that Brown was merely “updating” him on the process — a description fundamentally at odds with Bell’s email.

Ayres’ claim that he had nothing to do with the selection process was already crippled last week when documents revealed he had asked Brown to add a name to the interview shortlist — though Investment NSW insists the name was not that of Barilaro. According to today’s documents, he “confirmed” the shortlist with Brown as well. While it is possible that the idea that he would be the decision-maker from a list of two names was never implemented, that would have required a change of approach from the selection panel — and doesn’t explain why the candidates’ relative rankings were changed so that Barilaro won the job.