NSW Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet has been debated over the revelations of an investigation by the NSW upper house, where an experienced public servant detailed how he was terminated his offer of a NSW commercial position in New York. .
Perrottet said it was his job to make sure there was public confidence in government appointments. He again pointed to a separate review of what happened through the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
“Obviously, the reports I saw yesterday are worrying. There is absolutely no place for government job gifts, where they are statutory appointments or government sector appointments, ”Perrottet said.
It follows that former NSW Deputy Secretary of Investment Jenny West said on Monday in a parliamentary inquiry that NSW’s commercial offer was withdrawn and the agency’s executive director, Amy Brown, told her it would be “ a “gift” for someone else.
When asked if he had spoken to his ministers about who communicated this to Brown, Perrottet said he “had not received any information from anyone.”
“Obviously I have spoken to the minister (Commerce Minister Stuart Ayres) about it and I have seen his comments which he reiterated to me yesterday evening which he categorically denies ever making any statement in this regard.”
Perrottet wanted to make sure there was full transparency and public confidence in any government appointment.
“If this goes through a statutory function with respect to the executive or is done through the civil service, there are appropriate processes that need to be followed,” he said.
Perrottet was confident in the review that the former NSW public service commissioner will lead “to offer me advice in relation to these processes”.
“If there’s any recommendation you make as part of that, I promise to take it right away.”
Perrottet said his statement to parliament that no suitable candidate was identified was based on advice received from the department.
“This is the advice I still received and nothing has changed. And when there was pressure on the consultation, the secretary of the Department confirmed that this was the advice that came to me in relation to whether or not there was a suitable candidate … from the first process ”.