Mike Baird admits openly it was a serious oversight slash mistake to appoint Nick Di Girolamo to Sydney Water.
The Premier looked uncomfortable discussing this in his address to the public right before heading off to meet the royal couple, William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.
NSW Premier Mike Baird said:
Di Girolamo is appearing before the Independent Commission against Crime and here is some of the transcript of Di Girolamo's use of the Sydney Waters Money.
Images @ Eminpee Fotography"In hindsight it was a mistake to appoint lobbyist Nick Di Girolamo to a state-owned corporation three years ago but it was endorsed by the cabinet.Ross Cameron a former Liberal leader has used the AWB incident to attack Baird over the Liberal Partys contact with mining lobbyists.
“I have been clear there was an independent panel who put together some recommendations, spoke about the suitability of candidates, that candidate has gone to cabinet and the cabinet has made the decision.”
Di Girolamo is appearing before the Independent Commission against Crime and here is some of the transcript of Di Girolamo's use of the Sydney Waters Money.
"And you recognised immediately that the way that the arrangement could be milked was by putting inappropriate claims to Sydney Water in the hope they never picked them up, in the hope that they would pay them without picking them up," Watson continued.Quote from the Guardian:
Di Girolamo agreed Sydney Water should never have been asked to foot the bill for limousine travel, luxury accommodation, Italian Chamber of Commerce donations or on-air advertising for AWH on Macquarie Radio.
All of these expenses must have been signed off by mistake, Di Girolamo said.
He denied "stonewalling" senior Sydney Water bureaucrats when they requested invoices and receipts.
"(This was you) big-noting yourself, going to restaurants – 'don't worry, I'll shout, I'll put it on my card' – and then just putting it back onto Sydney Water, wasn't that it?" Watson said.
"No," Di Girolamo replied.
“Mike Baird has two challenges today in his first full day as premier. The first is to detail how he is going to deal with the toxic culture within the Liberal party of lobbyists and donors,” he said.
“And secondly is to explain to the people of New South Wales why he appointed Nick Di Girolamo to a lucrative state board despite receiving advice to the contrary. Mike Baird’s biggest challenge is to detail how he will clean up what Ross Cameron, former Liberal MP for Parramatta described as the Liberal party being a life support for the lobbying industry.”
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