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“This constant,constant attention on him. Him waiting three weeks until he was able to give his side of a story at an inquiry. I say to you and I say to anyone out there,‘How would that make you feel and how do you think you would manage with that?’ ” she said on Friday.

Barilaro was due to give a full day of evidence to the long-running upper house inquiry,which has been reviewing the public service recruitment that saw him appointed to the US trade role in June. He has since withdrawn from the role amid intense backlash over the process.

Committee chair and Greens MP Cate Faerhmann said she was informed about 8am on Friday that Barilaro could not attend due to ill health.

In his first day fronting the upper house inquiry on Monday, Barilaro said he had endured a “personal hell” since his controversial appointment and wished he never applied for the trade commissioner role.

“If I knew what I know now,I wouldn’t have walked into this shit show. I’m going to use those terms,I’m sorry to say because the trauma I’ve gone through over the last six,seven weeks has been significant,” he said.

Barilaro insisted he was successful in securing the role through merit but conceded parts of the process have since proven to be problematic.

“It hasn’t been as clean as it should have been,and I’m the victim out of that,not the perpetrator,” he said.

Barilaro became the subject of further scrutiny this week afterthe release of NSW building commissioner David Chandler’s resignation letter, which raised concerns about a former minister’s relationship with the property development group that hired Barilaro after he left politics.

The letter also revealed Barilaro called him on his personal phone in April after stopwork orders were issued ona development by the group,Coronation Property. Barilaro was the developer’s executive director at the time.

As the minister for mental health,Taylor on Friday commended Barilaro for always being “very open” about his own struggles.

“So I respectfully say to everyone,he has been very honest and very open,and he has put his case forward. He deserves correct process. He deserves independence[and] respectful behaviour,” she said.

Earlier this year,Barilaro was awarded $715,000 in a high-profile defamation case against Google,after a judge found he was subjected to a “relentless and vicious campaign” of cyberbullying causing his premature resignation from politics.

Barilaro sued the internet giant and political commentator Jordan Shanks in the Federal Court last year overtwo videos published on the Friendlyjordies channel in 2020 accusing him of corruption.

Barilaro has previously spoken about challenges with his mental health. He took a month of mental health leave in September last year,while still in office,following a torrid week in which the Nationals threatened to destroy the Coalition over the contested koala planning policy. He resigned from politics in December.

Support for anyone who may be distressed is available viaLifeline 13 11 14;Mensline 1300 789 978;orBeyond Blue 1300 224 636.

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