London rent ‘horrified’ Australian public servant on $600k

Stephen Cartwright says he shortly realised his $600,000 wage bundle wouldn’t be sufficient to hire within the UK capital and help his household.

“I began to do a few of that analysis as quickly as I arrived and was fairly horrified with what I noticed,” Cartwright advised a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday.

“I acquired over right here and came upon the outrageous rents that it’s a must to pay right here, the college charges, which might be double something that you’d ever pay in Australia.

“I found simply how poorly NSW had structured this stuff.”

Cartwright’s appointment to the profitable commerce place is being scrutinised after it emerged he sought a wage of $800,000 – nearly double the preliminary providing – and landed the function regardless of being ranked beneath different candidates.

The inquiry stems from the controversial appointment of former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro because the senior commerce and funding commissioner to the Americas in June, a $500,000-a-year function he resigned from inside two weeks.

The higher home committee’s focus has since been expanded to look at the circumstances surrounding all appointments to senior abroad commerce positions.

Cartwright beforehand stated he met Barilaro for espresso earlier than making use of for the function.

The previous Enterprise NSW govt rejected claims his appointment was a case of “jobs for mates”.

After tense and protracted contract negotiations, Cartwright finally accepted a base wage of $487,000 with $113,000 in perks, incomes greater than the state’s 5 different commerce commissioners.

In February, a month after he arrived in London, the state additionally agreed to pay his hire, anticipated to value taxpayers $105,000.

By June, Cartwright started emailing NSW CEO Amy Brown requesting monetary assist for his kids’s faculty charges.

“You’ll recall that the (Commerce) Minister (Stuart Ayres) was very clear that college charges may very well be handled in the identical manner that we’re coping with the hire,” Cartwright wrote to Funding NSW employees.

In July, staffers from NSW Treasury referred to former Funding NSW staffer Jenny West being upset and in a “actual tizz” after a name with Cartwright.

Cartwright advised the inquiry he didn’t recall what had brought on the difficulty.

-AAP