He fronted the commission as part of its investigation into whether Ms Berejiklian breached the public trust or encouraged corrupt conduct during her secret relationship with Mr Maguire.

In its second week,the inquiry is investigating two government grants sought for Mr Maguire’s Wagga Wagga electorate,including $5.5 million to upgrade a clay target shooting club.

Ms Berejiklian is expected to give evidence this week and has previously vehemently denied any allegations of wrongdoing. She resigned as premier and the member for Willoughby after she was named the subject of the inquiry on October 1.

The commission has heard Ms Berejiklian was the treasurer and chair of the government’s expenditure review committee when a proposal to grant the Australian Clay Target Association a multi-million dollar grant was raised with urgency.

Bureaucrats last week gave evidence to the ICAC regarding concerns they had about the haste behind the proposal and its business case,which they considered unsatisfactory and “flimsy”.

Mr Barilaro on Monday said it was possible the controversial gun club grant never would have made it to the senior committee if the relationship had been disclosed.

“I don’t believe it would have actually ended up on the ERC agenda in the first instance,unless there was some probity arrangements made around the issue of the relationship,” he said.

“Hypothetically,if it was public,and we had known,I would have assumed that the treasurer at the time would have left the room.”

By going straight to ERC and not through a competitive process like others,Mr Barilaro said the project secured priority because it earned the “imprimatur of the government of the day”.

He said he was still of the view he gave in a previously secret hearing last month,when he said he would not have supported the item on the agenda if he was aware of the relationship.

“I[also] believe my colleagues would not have supported the agenda item and therefore,it would not have been supported,” he said in the September 10 examination.

Mr Barilaro described the grant proposal as unusual because of the expeditious way it was handled and because it did not identify a funding source when pitched.

Asked by counsel assisting the commission Scott Robertson if Ms Berejiklian’s office had tried to “push the project along”,Mr Barilaro said he was not aware but that it was very possible.

Mr Barilaro said Mr Maguire was one of the more aggressive MPs when it came to lobbying ministers for funding,describing him as “a pain in the arse”.

“He was a very strong local member and someone that really didn’t let it go. A dog with a bone,” Mr Barilaro said.

The commission is also examining the decision-making behind a multimillion-dollar request for funding for the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in 2018,for which Mr Maguire also advocated. By this time Ms Berejiklian was premier.

About $10 million was approved to relocate the conservatorium from a campus of Charles Sturt University to a government-owned site,while a separate tranche of $20 million for a recital hall was promised later.

No money for the recital hall has yet been granted as the proposal remains under consideration.

The ICAC also heard evidence on Monday from Peter Minucos,a former adviser to Mr Barilaro,who consulted with an independent firm to source the second business case for the gun club grant,which would pass muster.

Mr Minucos,who is not accused of wrongdoing,could not recall Ms Berejiklian having a special interest in the project,but said it appeared to have political backing because of the conditional approval of the ERC,which was “the ultimate support”.

He said he recalled the initial business case was “deficient” because its benefit to cost analysis related only to Wagga Wagga,rather than the overall state,as required by NSW Treasury guidelines.

The inquiry continues.

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories,analysis and insights.Sign uphere.