Former NSW premier Barry O'Farrell has landed his first post-politics appointment, as deputy chair of the prestigious Australia-India Council.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop announced on Tuesday that Mr O'Farrell would take up the unsalaried five-year appointment from August 1.

Barry O'Farrell, new deputy chair of the prestigious Australia-India Council. Credit:Sasha Woolley

The council is chaired by Ashok Jacob, formerly a key lieutenant of billionaire gambling mogul James Packer, who was awarded a casino licence in NSW while Mr O'Farrell was premier.

Mr Jacob is a former director of Crown Ltd, which won the right to operate a "restricted gaming facility" at Barangaroo from November 2019.