Jo Haylen: NSW Premier Chris Minns under pressure to sack minister over boozy lunch trip
NSW Premier Chris Minns is under pressure to sack his Transport Minister Jo Haylen after details of a long lunch in the Hunter Valley, with transport billed to the taxpayer for a chauffeur-driven van round trip from Sydney to the lower Hunter and Hunter Valley emerged.
Mr Minns has been forced to explain the reasons for Ms Haylen’s decision to order Sydney-based ministerial transport for a group of colleagues and friends to an Australia Day weekend lunch at the Brokenwood Winery in the popular NSW wine region of the Hunter Valley, after being collected from a holiday home in Caves Beach.
The Daily Telegraph is reporting that the driver was engaged for the 446km $750 trip, on January 25 leaving his Rockdale home to pick up Ms Haylen, Housing Minister Rose Jackson, Ms Haylen’s husband Garth Williams, Ms Jackson’s husband Sam Crosby and two other friends at Caves Beach.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I made the wrong decision here. I apologise for it,” Ms Haylen told reporters on Sunday.
When asked if she has used taxpayer funded transport for personal reasons in the past the Minister said she could not not say.
“I don’t recall that, however, I can’t say that definitively. There are grey areas and our jobs are 24/7,” she said.
“In this instance it’s not about the rules, it’s about the public expectation which I failed to meet.”
Premier Minns was clearly not happy with the situation and confirmed he had had words with his MInusrer over the event.
“This is clearly unacceptable,” Mr Minns said.
“It’s not on for drivers to be used in this way. I’ve asked the Cabinet Office to provide advice on changing the guidelines so this can’t happen again.”
Ms Haylen added that her actions “didn’t pass the pub test” and that in hindsight she should have used an Uber.
NSW Opposition leader Mark Speakman called on both Ms Haylen and Ms Jackson to resign over the use of the ministerial vehicle for the lunch.
“Those ministers must have known,” he said.
“Rose Jackson and Jo Haylen must resign … Haylen organised the vehicle but Rose Jackson is clearly complicit in what happened.
“This is also a test for Chris Minns, if his ministers don’t resign he has to sack them.”
