DAYS after a federal parliamentary committee examined Paul Broad's departure from the top job at Snowy Hydro, the Novocastrian has been appointed as an energy adviser reporting directly to Premier Dominic Perrottet.
Mr Broad's appointment has been interpreted as a slap to Energy Minister Matt Kean, but Mr Perrottet disputed this when he confirmed the appointment to Sydney radio station 2GB.
"I wouldn't see it that way. I'm the Premier, and I want the best advice possible.
"As Premier of NSW I'm going to do everything I can to make sure we have energy security in the future, and Paul Broad is somebody who's got a strong history in this space."
A Budget estimates hearing on Monday heard of problems between Mr Broad and Albanese government ministers over the Kurri Kurri gas turbine Labor wanted made "hydrogen ready".
Mr Perrottet raised the stalled Santos gas project in relation to Mr Broad, saying he wanted to "cut through red tape and regulations across government departments to get projects like Narrabri up and running".
Mr Broad has worked with both sides of politics as well as the private sector in a long managerial career that saw him run Hunter Water, Sydney Water, Energy Australia, PowerTel, AAPT and Infrastructure NSW before taking the top job at Snowy Hydro.
Mr Perrottet lauded Mr Broad on radio, saying "the discussions I had with him when I was Treasurer of NSW I found incredibly constructive".
Yaron Finkelstein, a former political adviser to Scott Morrison during his time as PM has also reportedly joined Mr Perrottet's office, starting work last week.
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