‘We’re not lying down on this one’: John Barilaro to fight assault charge in court

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro will contest charges he assaulted a news camera operator and damaged equipment, a court has been told.

Barilaro, 50, was not required to appear at Manly Local Court on Wednesday when his lawyer entered pleas of not guilty on the former Nationals leader’s behalf.

“We’re not lying down on this one,” lawyer Danny Eid told reporters outside court.

Barilaro, who resigned from parliament in October 2020, was charged after the altercation with freelance cameraman Matt Costello outside a bar in Manly on 23 July.

Footage circulated online appears to show the pair struggling as they grab and push one another while the man tries to film Barilaro, who then walks away.

Barilaro later confirmed the incident, saying he was confronted in the dark outside a bar and felt harassed during a night out with friends.

“To come out and have a camera shoved in your face. I’m a private citizen,” he told 2GB in July.

“All I did was push a camera out of my way. I did not manhandle an individual.”

He was charged with assault and malicious damage in late August.

Prosecutors have until 9 November to serve the brief on Barilaro’s lawyer.

The matter will return to Manly local court on 7 December for reply.

Barilaro has been engulfed in scandal since 2020 after taking defamation action against provocative entertainer Jordan Shanks, better known by his nom de plume, friendlyjordies.

He settled that case out of court but was later awarded more than $700,000 from Google, the publisher of the videos on YouTube.

The former Nationals leader returned to the spotlight this year when questions were raised about how he was appointed to a $500,000-a-year government trade job in New York.

Barilaro said he did nothing wrong by applying for the job.

An independent inquiry found a senior public servant was indirectly influenced by former trade minister Stuart Ayres’ preference over who should get the New York-based role. A parliamentary inquiry is ongoing.

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a cameraman earlier this year. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Photograph: Instagram @creatures_of_manly This clash between John Barilaro and a cameraman resulted in charges being laid against the former deputy premier, who has pleaded not guilty.