UK agent general denies $800,000 salary package request to Barilaro inquiry

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Home Jurisdiction New South Wales UK agent general denies $800,000 salary package request to Barilaro inquiry

Home Jurisdiction New South Wales UK agent general denies $800,000 salary package request to Barilaro inquiry

Jurisdiction New South Wales UK agent general denies $800,000 salary package request to Barilaro inquiry

New South Wales UK agent general denies $800,000 salary package request to Barilaro inquiry

By Anna Macdonald

November 2, 2022

Stephen Cartwright justified his salary package to the NSW upper house inquiry on Wednesday morning as part of the inquiry into John Barilaro’s appointment as senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas (STIC Americas).

Cartwright is the NSW UK agent general and STIC Europe and Israel, having signed the employment contract in July 2021.

Barilaro, who is no longer taking up the STIC Americas role, in an October 2021 media release announcing Cartwright’s appointment described him as the “ideal candidate to help NSW as we embark on a new era of investment in a pandemic-resilient world”.

During the first session of the public hearing, one line of questioning focused on Cartwright’s salary package of $600,000, which is higher than an NSW secretary Band 4 level of $499,251-$576,700.

Cartwright denied he ever asked for an $800,000 salary package, saying he did not expect to be paid that much in public service.

“This myth, where somehow I was asking, requesting or demanding $800,000 a year that’s been splashed all over the media, never happened. I never asked for that amount of money,” Cartwright said.

“I was asked by both the deputy premier and later by Dr [Marianne] Broadbent what I had been on in my previous roles and I shared that with them.”

Throughout the public hearing, Cartwright drew comparisons between his experience in the private sector, including his experience in recruiting, characterising his requests as common in the private sector.

The UK agent general said he had a coffee meeting with deputy premier John Barilaro in February 2021, during which Barilaro asked if Cartwright would be interested in the role.

During that conversation, Cartwright said he had been on an $800,000 salary package during his time in the private sector, with Barilaro telling him the base would most likely be in the “low fives”.

Cartwright added now former Treasury secretary Michael Pratt also encouraged Cartwright to apply for the role.

According to the UK agent-general, there was a lot of back and forth over the course of several weeks between himself, Investment NSW public servant Jenny West, and public sector recruiter Marianne Broadbent over his salary package.

The negotiations ended, according to Cartwright, when Cartwright agreed to a package “as a favour” to West of $487,000 with a $113,000 allowance in order to avoid going to the remuneration tribunal.

The senior mandarin added there were pay issues after he commenced in the role, as he was told by West after raising the issue with her he would not be paid his allowance until after he moved the UK.

Cartwright said he had an issue with this as he had already incurred $56,000 worth of expenses from the move from Australia to the UK.

The pay matter was eventually resolved after Cartwright escalated the matter to minister Stuart Ayres, with a new contract signed in June 2022 and the government directly paying for his London accommodation instead of being part of his UK allowance.

As reported by Crikey , Paul Webster on Monday claimed he was in the running for the UK agent general job before being sidelined, with the job then going to Cartwright. Webster since took up the role of trade and investment commissioner, UK and Europe under Cartwright.

Cartwright was emphatic in denying his appointment to the role was a case of “jobs for the boy”, adding he felt offended by that characterisation of his appointment.

“My qualifications for this role are unable to be challenged and I have no visibility on how Dr Broadbent went about her criteria that she looked at candidates.

“But I’m crystal clear that three highly impressive senior independent panel members decided I was the most suitable person for this role, based on merit.”

Cartwright’s public hearing continued for the rest of Wednesday morning.

READ MORE:

‘You’re making me out to be corrupt,’ Barilaro tells inquiry

About the author

By Anna Macdonald

Anna Macdonald is a Sydney-based Journalist at The Mandarin. She was previously at Mumbrella, reporting on Australia’s media and marketing industry. She graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Arts and Laws.

People: Amy Brown Jenny West Marianne Broadbent Stephen Cartwright

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Home Jurisdiction New South Wales UK agent general denies $800,000 salary package request to Barilaro inquiry. Home Jurisdiction New South Wales UK agent general denies $800,000 salary package request to Barilaro inquiry. Jurisdiction New South Wales UK agent general denies $800,000 salary package request to Barilaro inquiry. New South Wales UK agent general denies $800,000 salary package request to Barilaro inquiry. By Anna Macdonald. November 2, 2022. Stephen Cartwright justified his salary package to the NSW upper house inquiry on Wednesday morning as part of the inquiry into John Barilaro’s appointment as senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas (STIC Americas). Cartwright is the NSW UK agent general and STIC Europe and Israel, having signed the employment contract in July 2021. Barilaro, who is no longer taking up the STIC Americas role, in an October 2021 media release announcing Cartwright’s appointment described him as the “ideal candidate to help NSW as we embark on a new era of investment in a pandemic-resilient world”. During the first session of the public hearing, one line of questioning focused on Cartwright’s salary package of $600,000, which is higher than an NSW secretary Band 4 level of $499,251-$576,700. Cartwright denied he ever asked for an $800,000 salary package, saying he did not expect to be paid that much in public service. “This myth, where somehow I was asking, requesting or demanding $800,000 a year that’s been splashed all over the media, never happened. I never asked for that amount of money,” Cartwright said. “I was asked by both the deputy premier and later by Dr [Marianne] Broadbent what I had been on in my previous roles and I shared that with them.” Throughout the public hearing, Cartwright drew comparisons between his experience in the private sector, including his experience in recruiting, characterising his requests as common in the private sector. The UK agent general said he had a coffee meeting with deputy premier John Barilaro in February 2021, during which Barilaro asked if Cartwright would be interested in the role. During that conversation, Cartwright said he had been on an $800,000 salary package during his time in the private sector, with Barilaro telling him the base would most likely be in the “low fives”. Cartwright added now former Treasury secretary Michael Pratt also encouraged Cartwright to apply for the role. According to the UK agent-general, there was a lot of back and forth over the course of several weeks between himself, Investment NSW public servant Jenny West, and public sector recruiter Marianne Broadbent over his salary package. The negotiations ended, according to Cartwright, when Cartwright agreed to a package “as a favour” to West of $487,000 with a $113,000 allowance in order to avoid going to the remuneration tribunal. The senior mandarin added there were pay issues after he commenced in the role, as he was told by West after raising the issue with her he would not be paid his allowance until after he moved the UK. Cartwright said he had an issue with this as he had already incurred $56,000 worth of expenses from the move from Australia to the UK. The pay matter was eventually resolved after Cartwright escalated the matter to minister Stuart Ayres, with a new contract signed in June 2022 and the government directly paying for his London accommodation instead of being part of his UK allowance. As reported by Crikey , Paul Webster on Monday claimed he was in the running for the UK agent general job before being sidelined, with the job then going to Cartwright. Webster since took up the role of trade and investment commissioner, UK and Europe under Cartwright. Cartwright was emphatic in denying his appointment to the role was a case of “jobs for the boy”, adding he felt offended by that characterisation of his appointment. “My qualifications for this role are unable to be challenged and I have no visibility on how Dr Broadbent went about her criteria that she looked at candidates. “But I’m crystal clear that three highly impressive senior independent panel members decided I was the most suitable person for this role, based on merit.” Cartwright’s public hearing continued for the rest of Wednesday morning. READ MORE: ‘You’re making me out to be corrupt,’ Barilaro tells inquiry. About the author. By Anna Macdonald. Anna Macdonald is a Sydney-based Journalist at The Mandarin. She was previously at Mumbrella, reporting on Australia’s media and marketing industry. She graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Arts and Laws. People: Amy Brown Jenny West Marianne Broadbent Stephen Cartwright. People: Departments: Investment NSW. Departments: Tags: allowance base salary favour Money negotiations packages payment private sector vs public sector remuneration tribunal Salary. Tags: 0. $5 a week to be on top of it all. Better briefings written just for the public sector. Get Premium Today. Already a subscriber? Login.