Why Rose Jackson didn’t speak up about winery trip that cost Haylen her job

Speaking for the first time since the ‘Van Haylen’ scandal, the NSW Housing Minister says she ‘wasn’t thinking’ when a taxpayer-funded chauffeur pulled up to take her to a surprise birthday lunch.

Housing Minister Rose Jackson has spoken for first time since it was revealed she was driven by a taxpayer-funded chauffeur to and from a Hunter Valley winery on the Australia Day long weekend.

The Housing and Mental Health Minister said she was too “excited” about her birthday lunch at the time, and should have questioned then-Transport Minister Jo Haylen, who commissioning of the 466km round-trip in a government-owned car and driver.

Ms Haylen has since stood down from her role following public backlash after the scandal was exposed by the Sunday Telegraph.

“I probably should have said something but at the time. I didn’t think about it because I was excited by a surprise birthday and a surprise lunch,” she said.

“When I walked out of the house, I saw the car in the drive up, but I wasn’t really thinking. I was just excited to have lunch with my friends. I knew it was a ministerial car.

“The circumstance of that weekend was a surprise to me — I didn’t even know I was going away. I didn’t know any of the details and had nothing to do with planning logistics.

“I have indicated that I accept responsibility for that”

Rose Jackson, left, and Jo Haylen, right. Pictures: News Corp

Despite saying she believed all her use of the ministerial driver was reasonable and within the guidelines, she refused to voluntarily publicly release her own driver logs.

“I’ve thought back, I’ve wracked my memory and nothing has ever come to my concern,” she said.

Answering questions around who paid for the lunch Ms Jackson said she hadn’t seen the bill because it was her birthday but understood the bill had been split.

“I didn’t see the bill because it was my birthday, but my understanding is that it was paid for by the people that were there,” she said.

NEW DETAILS OF SECOND WINE TRIP

Ms Jackson’s comments came hours after it as revealed Ms Haylen only had a phone call and zoom meeting on the day she and her husband went on another Hunter Valley winery trip last year.

Premier Chris Minns confirmed that while Ms Haylen did so some work during that trip “it didn’t justify having a driver in the day”.

Premier Chris Minns says Ms Haylen has paid a high price for her ‘error of judgment’. Picture: Thomas Lisson

The Premier also revealed that when he first asked Ms Haylen if there had been any other instances of excessive private use of the ministerial vehicle she did not mention the other winery visit with her husband.

She only revealed it after being asked directly by the Premier on Tuesday morning after he was alerted to the trip by the media.

When asked if she lied to him, the Premier responded: “a couple of things can be true at the same time.”

“I don’t think it was reasonable to have a driver but the circumstances were different.”

Mr Minns admitted rules around ministerial driver use should have been tightened earlier, in the wake of the scandal that enveloped Ms Haylen.

“To be in government, you can’t just scrape by with the minimum by saying that somebody who acts within the rules, but in a way that doesn’t sit right,” Mr Minns told reporters on Wednesday.

“We’ve waited two years and that was a mistake that I made in terms of ensuring the rules are straightforward and the public has confidence that their money is being used effectively.”

However, Mr Minns said he was “confident having changed those rules, that we can restore a measure of trust and confidence for taxpayers.”

Despite the resignation of Ms Haylen on Tuesday over the driver scandal, Mr Minns said he would not do an audit of the driver logs to ensure there had been no bad behaviour from other ministers.

The Premier said he had asked all his other ministers in cabinet on Monday if there had been other examples of misuse of the ministerial drivers. None had come forward.

“There’s no indication that there’s a similar or analogous example,” he said.

“There would have been private usage, largely incidental with ministerial drivers.

“I trust my colleagues in relation to this.”

The Premier said he would not be asking Ms Haylen to pay back the cost of the 2024 winery trip but would not divulge further details about what occurred.

The Premier also refused to speculate on who would replace Ms Haylen as Transport Minister on a permanent basis and would not say whether he is planning a larger cabinet reshuffle as a result.

“I haven’t made a call on it. The rules of the Labor Party are that the leader makes the decision … but I will talk to my colleagues and we will make a decision together,” he said.

“I genuinely don’t have in my minds eye what is going to happen next, I didn’t expect this to happen.”

Ex-Minister for Transport Jo Haylen resigned on Tuesday. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

It comes after Jo Haylen’s ministerial career has been run off the road by a humble Kia Carnival.

Premier Chris Minns lost one of his closest cabinet allies on Tuesday and now faces a crucial cabinet reshuffle as parliament resumes for the year.

Ms Haylen was forced to admit yesterday that she used her private ministerial driver for a trip with her husband to a Hunter Valley winery, offering her resignation to the Premier during crisis talks at the government’s Martin Place offices.

Her admission about the trip with her husband comes after The Sunday Telegraph broke the “Van Haylen” scandal in which Ms Haylen summoned her driver from Sydney to Caves Beach to take her and four others, including Housing Minister Rose Jackson, in a Kia Carnival eight-seater van to a boozy winery lunch in the Hunter Valley on the Australia Day weekend.

Mr Minns has now banned ministers from using their taxpayer-funded chauffeurs for “exclusively private purposes” in a crackdown to reflect “community expectations”.

Ministers will only be able to use their drivers for official business or private purposes “incidental” to official duties.

Ms Haylen’s resignation is a major blow to the Premier, who began the day standing by one of his closest allies.

Jo Haylen announces her resignation. Picture: Ted Lamb

Her departure leaves a gaping hole in Mr Minns’ frontbench.

While prone to controversy, Ms Haylen was considered by colleagues to be one of Labor’s strongest performers on the floor of parliament.

She leaves the massive transport portfolio with a union pay deal still unresolved, with unions threatening to launch more action over a 32 per cent pay claim.

In announcing her resignation, Ms Haylen confirmed she had used her ministerial driver for another trip to the Hunter Valley with her husband last year.

Mr Minns had earlier said Ms Haylen had assured him the boozy Australia Day weekend lunch last month was a one-off. “I asked if there was other examples, and the media did too, and I was told … the answer is no,” he told 2GB radio on Monday.

Ms Haylen insisted she was “working” on the day in question but conceded using her driver was an “error”.

Ms Jackson is not accused of breaching ministerial rules in relation to the trip.

The Telegraph also revealed Ms Haylen was repeatedly driven from Caves Beach to Sydney to take her child to Saturday sport, which she said occurred on the way to and from work engagements.

She was also driven from Sydney to Little Hartley in the Blue Mountains for a lunch at her then-chief of staff’s property, which she said was for work.

“I did not break the rules, but I acknowledge that that’s not the only test here. I’ve let the public down, and I’m very sorry for that,” she said when announcing her resignation.

“My mistakes are now causing the government damage.”

Rose Jackson joined the winery tour and lunch. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Ms Haylen said she had worked her “arse off” since being appointed a minister, which she said was a 24/7 job.

“You don’t clock out from being a minister, you work every single minute of the day, just like you don’t clock out from being a mum,” she said.

“Combining those roles is difficult, but I’m not alone in that challenge.”

She said she’d continue in politics, as Labor sources suggested the resignation would not mark the end of her career.

Before the second winery trip was revealed, Mr Minns said Ms Haylen had made a “massive lapse” in judgment, but didn’t sack her.

How the Telegraph broke, and continued to roll out fresh revelations, in the Jo Haylen scandal. Pictures: The Daily Telegraph

Yesterday he said Ms Haylen had not broken any “longstanding rules”, but those rules needed to change.

Opposition leader Mark Speakman said Ms Haylen “made the right call” to resign, but criticised the Premier for waiting three days before taking action.

The Premier must now fill one of the government’s most crucial portfolios, at a time when a major industrial dispute remains unresolved.

Ms Haylen on her way to work on Tuesday.

She resigned at 2pm on Tuesday.

Roads Minister John Graham will be sworn in as interim Transport Minister on Friday. Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison will act in the role until then.

However, finding a permanent replacement will be more difficult.

The Transport portfolio will require a senior minister to move from their existing role.

Mr Graham was touted as a potential permanent successor by Labor MPs last night.

“John is the obvious answer,” one Labor source said.

A junior minister could then take some of Mr Graham’s other portfolios, like Tourism or the Night-Time economy.

The Premier will also face a factional fight if he moves to promote someone from the backbench to fill the hole.

Ms Haylen is from Labor’s left which will want one of their own to replace her.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW secretary Toby Warnes said he had high expectations on any incoming Transport Minister to get a wage deal done.

“There’s no question that the role of Transport Minister in NSW is an incredibly challenging one,” he said.

“The incoming Transport Minister will have a significant challenge on their hands. So far, the NSW Labor Government is yet to show any vision or ambition in the public transport space.

“If it is serious about fixing transport in this state, it needs to start now.”

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Originally published as Why Rose Jackson didn’t speak up about winery trip that cost Haylen her job