Andrew Constance returned serve at critics of his appointment as Shoalhaven City Council CEO by saying if he could be Treasurer of the state, then he was more than qualified for this role.

Constance started his tenure on Wednesday and fronted the media alongside Mayor Patricia White to address concerns about him getting the job despite no local government experience on his resume.

Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig launched a "preliminary investigation" into Constance’s appointment last week after Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips said the move "smacks of political bastardry".

“If I was qualified to be Treasurer of NSW, I'm confident with the experience and the knowledge that I have to be an incredible advocate for our region and working to serve Mayor White, the democratically elected councillors, but most importantly also as the CEO of the organisation, the 1500 men and women who are working around the clock,” Constance said.

“There is no doubt that for me, the interface that I've had with local government over almost two decades is varied and it wouldn't matter if it was as the Treasurer signing off on natural disaster declarations to sitting alongside the local emergency management officer during a black summer in the Euobodalla Shire, that the regard and respect that I have for local government is a sector that I see has challenges which we've got to convert into opportunities.

“Shoalhaven has been my home for many years and I know the community and I know how to get around government so for me, making sure that we have the best opportunities for the Council moving forward is one of the most key roles.

“Working alongside the Mayor and the Councillors is also key because I have to implement their decisions, their policies, their strategic direction, but at the same time, I have worked for many years making sure we see good government and good governance that sits alongside that and I have every intention of making sure that the council is performing at a level which drives the opportunity for the community.

“Knowing the community partnerships that can be formed, because I know the community, is also very important.”

Constance claimed that despite a lengthy career in the Liberal Party, he should no longer be viewed along political lines.

“Professionally, I'm now an apolitical public servant,” he said.

“I ceased my membership to the Liberal Party after 30 years and at the same time, I bring an extraordinary network across government.

“Everyone forgets I was Leader of the House in NSW. That means working with the crossbench, the Labor Party, the Liberal Party members, everybody.

“So I have a demonstrated capacity and ability to work with people and ultimately, in terms of government at state and federal levels, I want to ensure that the advocacy and the work that we do, delivers the best outcomes.

“Not only in terms of grants, because it's deeper than just grant applications. We're going to have to form incredible partnerships with the Minns (Labor) government to derive the greatest benefit for Nowra as a result of the new development of the hospital and the waterfront.

“These are people that I've worked with previously. I will treat the CEO's role with utmost professionalism.”

Constance said he was “well within my rights to be able to apply for this role”.

“Ultimately this is a merit-based process and I would ask everybody to respect the Office of Local Government's inquiry into that.

When asked about the Office of Local Government investigation into Constance’s appointment, Cr White said she was not prepared to comment on any of the process “because it's a confidential preliminary investigation”.

“I have been informed from the Office of Local Government what they want to see and exactly what documentation has to be provided and the Council is going to provide everything that we have been requested to provide.

“There will be an investigation. At the end of the investigation it will be up to the Office of Local Government and the Minister to say whether that will be released to the community, residents etc.

“I think the privacy of other candidates needs to be kept private and needs to be kept confidential.”

Cr White admitted to handing out flyers for Constance in his failed federal election campaign for Gilmore earlier this year but claimed that she was not aligned to the Liberals.

“I was not actively supporting Andrew in that campaign. I handed out for him for about an hour in Ulladulla - that was it,” she said.

“I could make the same claims about state and federal members across NSW and across Australia.”