Hidden amid controversy over the short-term appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister John Barilaro to the coveted position of trade commissioner in the Americas there was an obvious gap in diversity. Of the six lucrative NSW commercial publications announced, only one went to a woman.
Helen Sawczak, the former head of the Australia China Business Council, was the only woman appointed to one of the positions, though not without some concern. Sawczak, who was named China’s trade commissioner, had previously raised her eyebrows after public comments she made when working for the business lobby.
Jenny West appears before the parliamentary inquiry on Monday. Credit: Nick Moir
In mid-2020, Sawczak warned that Australia needed to be “up to date” on national security issues “but not to the detriment of our economic interests”. His comments sparked a flurry of criticism from national security experts, as well as federal lawmakers on both sides of the policy, who warned that companies could not dictate foreign policy.
Sawczak also lamented that calls from the Morrison government at the time for an investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic had undermined the Australia-China relationship. “Coming out like a cormorant on a rock, little Australia demanding an investigation and hinting at guilt, was probably not a big foreign policy move,” Sawczak said.
A year later, she was the preferred candidate for the NSW Commercial Commissioner in Shanghai.
But an email discovered in a landfill in the state parliament shows that Barilaro’s successor, Commerce Minister Stuart Ayres, spoke with his department about looking for other women who could be considered for the post in China. At that stage, Barilaro had already been chosen for the role based in New York and the other four had also been occupied (by men), so Ayres obviously saw the need for a woman for China.
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The NSW Investment email to Ayres ’office leaves no doubt that the minister doubted Sawczak. Two more women were identified, but none were interested in the job. After a conversation with Sawczak about his “comments and opinions from the past media,” it was announced in the same press release with Barilaro as commercial commissioner.
But Ayres shouldn’t have worried about Sawczak. It was Barilaro’s appointment that immediately seized the outraged Liberal deputies and ministers. The workers also smelled blood and referred the matter to a parliamentary inquiry. This research has produced surprising evidence.