Email shows Premier’s Dept spruiked Kia Carnival to ministers before Jo Haylen’s winery trip

A month before former transport minister Jo Haylen took the fateful trip to a winery in a taxpayer-funded Kia Carnival, bureaucrats in the Premier’s Department were spruiking the vehicle to ministers.

A month before former transport minister Jo Haylen took the fateful trip to a winery in a taxpayer-funded Kia Carnival, bureaucrats in the Premier’s Department were spruiking the vehicle to ministers.

A departmental email – obtained by The Sauce – was sent to ministers on December 13 as state parliament prepared to shut down for the Christmas period until January 6.

It said minister vehicles needed to remain at Parliament House during the shutdown, “unless the Minister intends to take possession of the car.”

The Premier’s Department email spruiking the Kia Carnival for hire.

“We also have a Kia Carnival in the pool, so if the Minister is planning a trip for a large group, or is heading to or from the airport with a large amount of luggage, please let us know, so we can arrange for this vehicle to be used for the trip,” it said.

“We also have Toyota Prados available if the Carnival is already booked.”

No wonder Jo was confused.

Former Transport Minister Jo Haylen announced her resignation last week. Picture: Ted Lamb

The Ministers’ Office Handbook states that ministerial cars are “intended to be used by the Minister for official duties …”, but it also says the vehicles “may also be used for private purposes”.

A reasonable person might interpret this as squeezing in a personal trip to collect the kids from school or dropping something off at home – not a prearranged 446km round-trip for a boozy winery lunch with mates.

With Premier Chris Minns rewriting the car use rules The Sauce wonders if the Carnival van will ever be taken out again.

STEAMY SESSIONS

Pollies heading back to NSW Parliament House next week will be able to ease their stress in a taxpayer-funded “steam room”.

The room – to be opened later this month – is among a bunch of new and upgraded wellness and fitness facilities for MPs, with others including a squash court (how ‘80s), new rowing machines, a ski erg and adjustable weight benches.

A memo to MPs from the Department of Parliamentary Services about the new facilities noted that the old sauna was also being renewed after being found to be “unsafe”.

As for other works, upgrades to the lifts were still under way with the memo warning MPs the lobby lift light still sometimes displayed “the opposite direction to what users have requested”.

No wonder MPs need to de-stress in a steam room.

BOUNDARY BLOW-UP

With the Minns government losing one of its most senior ministers in Jo Haylen last week, the Hunger Games have begun with pollies and staffers from all sides trying to take each other out.

The Sauce was informed last week that Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis was not living in her electorate of Canterbury.

Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis says she was born and raised in her electorate of Canterbury. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

While there are no rules requiring an MP to reside within the boundaries of their seat, it can leave pollies open to criticism of not being a true “local”.

While Cotsis owns two properties in her electorate, she lives in a house in Kyeemagh - a suburb located on the shores of Botany Bay in the neighbouring Rockdale electorate.

Her two other properties in Earlwood and Belmore are rented out.

Cotsis’ spokesman told The Sauce his boss lived “just over 5kms” from her electorate, and could not be more local if she tried.

Vauclue MP Kellie Sloane lives just outside her electorate, Wahroonga MP Alister Henskens says his electorate boundary is “about two streets away”and Hornsby MP James Wallace says he trying to find a house to buy in his electorate.

“(She) was born, raised and educated in her Canterbury electorate and has a long and deep connection with the area,” he said.

Before long, The Sauce was informed of Liberals who did not live in their electorates, including Vaucluse MP Kellie Sloane, Wahroonga MP Alister Henskens and Hornsby MP James Wallace.

Sloane said her boundary was at the end of her street, while Henskens said his was “about two streets away”.

Wallace - who lives in Willoughby - told The Sauce he was “spending the weekends house-hunting”, and hoped to move into the electorate soon.

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