Jo Haylen probe in tatters as key figures overseas and can’t attend
A parliamentary probe examining whether embattled Transport Minister Jo Haylen broke any rules by recruiting a Labor donor to run her department will be forced to go ahead on Thursday without key witnesses. Find out why.
NSW
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A parliamentary probe examining whether embattled Transport Minister Jo Haylen broke any rules by recruiting a Labor donor to run her department will be forced to go ahead on Thursday without key witnesses because they are on leave overseas.
No less than five witnesses called to front the inquiry - including Ms Haylen herself - have said they cannot appear to answer questions.
But the government’s attempt to have a short, sharp inquiry has hit a snag, with the committee planning to force witnesses to appear at another hearing down the track.
Dianne Leeson, a key public servant involved in the assessment process, said she cannot appear because she is on leave overseas.
Public Service Commissioner Kathrina Lo, who was one of three people who ranked Mr Murray as “very suitable” for the Transport Secretary role, is also on leave and out of the country.
Ms Haylen’s chief of staff Scott Gartrell - who texted Mr Murray the job ad pushed for Mr Murray to be interviewed for the job - is still set to attend on Thursday.
Mr Murray is also expected to appear.
Committee chair and Greens MP Abigail Boyd said Thursday’s hearing will still go ahead, but the committee will hold further hearings down the track.
“We will get through tomorrow, and we’ll consider the evidence and see where the gaps are,” she said.
“To the extent that we feel it’s useful to have the people attend at a future date we will organise that and summons them if we have to.”
Ms Boyd also said that parliament’s upper house will look to force Ms Haylen to face questions via a parliamentary order.
“We will be looking to use the powers of the Legislative Council to enforce the expectation she attends,” Ms Boyd said.
Haylen dodges hearing, Minns stands firm
Labor representatives have rallied in support of Transport Minister Jo Haylen despite her refusal to appear before a parliamentary inquiry into why she hand-picked a former Labor staffer to be the state’s transport boss.
A parliamentary inquiry into the scandal called for Ms Haylen to answer questions at a hearing on Thursday.
The under-fire minister has now declined that invitation.
A spokesman said it was “convention” for MPs and ministers not to attend upper house inquiries.
However, Labor was highly critical of former Coalition ministers who refused to attend parliamentary inquiries during the last government.
Ms Haylen’s refusal to attend comes after Labor previously savaged Liberal and Coalition MPs for not showing up to the probes.
Deputy Premier Prue Car on Wednesday also dismissed concerns over Transport Minister Jo Haylen’s failure to declare a political donation from her appointed deparmental secretary as a storm in a teacup.
“This has all been blown a little bit out of proportion,” Ms Car said.
“We’re not talking about thousands of dollars worth of donations.
“I don’t think any reasonable person would think that a ticket to a dinner which there were hundreds of other people at has influenced any minister in the hiring of a very hard job in the public service.”
The Deputy Premier also declared she “stands by” the embattled Transport Minister.
“The Premier’s made this very clear, his view, and I stand by this, that Minister Haylen doesn’t have a private interest in this matter.”
Last year, senior Labor MP Penny Sharpe slammed then-premier Dominic Perrottet for not fronting up to a parliamentary inquiry investigating allegations former deputy premier John Barilaro was promised a $500,000-a-year New York trade role.
“Clearly we would want to see him and we’d expect that he would want to provide information to the public,” Ms Sharpe said in August last year.
“He’s got to come clean.”
Then-shadow treasurer Daniel Mookhey also slammed former Penrith MP Stuart Ayres for going on an overseas trade trip during that inquiry.
“I’m astounded that he thought it was a good idea to join the Premier (overseas),” Mr Mookhey told 2GB last year.
“He [Dominic Perrottet] doesn’t need Stuart Ayres there next to him cutting the ribbon.”
While a spokesman for Ms Haylen said it was “convention” for MPs and Ministers not to attend parliamentary inquiries, just two months ago Ms Haylen’s cabinet colleague, planning Minister Paul Scully, attended an inquiry on environmental planning and assessment laws.
Opposition leader Mark Speakman on Wednesday claimed Ms Haylen had breached the ministerial code and said Labor were being hypocrites after attacking the former Coalition government members for not showing up to inquiries.
‘RUNNING SCARED’
“Jo Haylen is running scared. Jo Haylen is in hiding. She won't answer questions in Parliament. She won’t appear before the general media and she won’t front up to a Legislative Council inquiry,” Mr Speakman said.
“Clearly, this Minister has breached the ministerial code. She had a private interests which conflicted with her public duty. She had a private interests that arose from the Labor Party connections, and the fact that Mr Murray was more than an acquaintance. The Minister should front the Legislative Council inquiry … she can’t be compelled, but she could choose to front that inquiry. She should do so.”
“Labor identities were happy to scream to the roofs came down about Liberal identities attending public inquiries, Labor should meet their own standards. It’s gross hypocrisy for Chris Minns and his now-Ministers.”
Shadow transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward said the entire hiring process of Mr Murray was a “sham” which overlooked Benedicte Collins, a former chief executive in the public service, for the role.
“We know that there’s intervention in the recruitment process, and a highly qualified woman with experience was overlooked. She never stood a chance in the process. It’s a sham. We also know that (Ms Haylen) wasted $125,000 of public money on a sham recruitment process and is dismissive of a $500 donation,” Ms Ward said.
MINNS BACKS HAYLEN
Transport boss Josh Murray, who was appointed despite not being the candidate preferred by an independent panel, is among the witnesses called to give evidence on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Premier Chris Minns is standing by his under-fire Minister, saying that Ms Haylen did not breach the Ministerial Code of Conduct by hiring Josh Murray as the Transport Secretary even though Mr Murray donated to Ms Haylen’s campaign.
Ms Haylen hired Mr Murray even though he was not the preferred candidate in the view of an independent evaluation panel put in place to recruit for the position.
Mr Murray, a current member of the Labor Party, once worked as Chief of Staff to Morris Iemma as Premier.
Ms Haylen’s chief of staff Scott Gartrell also worked as a staffer for the Iemma government, as the chief of staff to Minister Carmel Tebbutt.
The Telegraph revealed earlier this month that Mr Gartrell was texting Mr Murray about his application for the role of Transport boss during the recruitment process.
The Premier on Tuesday denied that Mr Murray’s $500 donation to Ms Haylen’s re-election created any conflict of interest.
“I don’t think the minister was influenced by somebody purchasing a ticket to a fundraiser,” Mr Minns said on Tuesday.
That statement comes despite the Independent Commission Against Corruption explicitly warning ministers to “promptly” disclose “any conflict of interest” to the Premier and abstain from “all decision making forums” relating to any potential conflicts.
The circumstances about Mr Murray’s appointment are set to be probed by a powerful parliamentary committee on Thursday.
Documents released to parliament today revealed Mr Minns knew about Mr Murray’s donation on July 16, after he had been hired.
A recruitment company originally considered appointing Mr Murray as the transport boss would be a “significant risk,” until he was interviewed by an “evaluation panel” made up of Acting Department of Premier and Cabinet boss Peter Duncan, federal Transport Secretary Jim Betts and Public Service Commissioner Kathrina Lo.
The panel ultimately assessed Mr Murray as “very suitable” for the role, but he was not their preferred candidate.
All three members of the evaluation panel will appear before a parliamentary inquiry on Thursday, as will Mr Murray and other public servants.
Mr Murray, who is not accused of wrongdoing, is the son-in-law of former Kogarah MP Brian Langton.
A Premier’s Department spokeswoman said that there is “no record” of Mr Langton or Mr Murray’s wife being paid for any work since the Minns government took office.
Haylen, Fordham clash in fiery debate on transport boss
The NSW minister accused of hand-picking a mate for the important job of transport secretary has denied she is toast saying: “I wasn’t required to declare the donation.”
Newly appointed transport secretary Josh Murray donated $500 to Transport Minister Jo Haylen’s election campaign less than a year before she hand-picked him for the top job.
The bombshell documents seen by The Telegraph on Monday also revealed Minister Haylen received a second donation of $250 from Mr Murray’s wife.
Ms Haylen insisted the donation was only a ticket for Mr Murray and his wife to attend a fundraiser at Wests Ashfield in October last year.
“I wasn’t required to declare that donation because we have really strict laws in NSW and individuals who make donations are required to disclose them under the law,” she said to Ben Fordham during the 2GB Radio show on Tuesday.
“Those documents were prepared as any minister would to answer questions to the media.
“We’ve actually handed those documents over, we’ve complied with the upper house call to papers, we’ve got nothing to hide here.”
“To say that somehow I would give a very important senior public service job to someone who gave a $500 donation is completely absurd, that beggars belief,” she said to Fordham.
But Jo Haylen was reluctant to answer Fordham’s questions on whether she made Premier Chris Minns aware of Mr Murray’s donation.
“I’ve been very upfront and I’ve answered all the questions,” Ms Haylen said.
“Well be upfront now,” Fordham replied.
“I’m being upfront Ben. The Premier is very confident that we have the right person in the job to help us fix public transport in this state,” Ms Haylen hit back.
Fordham again asked: “Would the Premier have preferred you had shared the donation information with him?”
“The Premier has been very satisfied and I have been upfront with him,” Ms Haylen responded.
“I don’t know how that’s upfront,” Mr Fordham said.
Shadow Attorney-General Alister Henskens said the whole saga highlighted a lack of transparency in government.
“Chris Minns whacked us over the John Barilaro appointment, they’ve tried to whack us continually when we were in government about transparency and integrity,” Mr Henskens said to Fordham on Tuesday.
“And yet here we see them covering this up, I think she’s got to go.”
Last week it was voted on that Mr Murray’s posting will be examined by a NSW Government Upper House committee, after it emerged Ms Haylen’s office intervened during the interview process pushing for him to be appointed to the role.
Documents tabled to parliament revealed Ms Haylen’s chief of staff had texted Mr Murray, a former staffer for then-Premier Morris Iemma, to advise him applications were open for the role.
Emails also revealed Ms Haylen’s office recommended Mr Murray be interviewed for the role, despite a $125,000 recruitment process already being underway.
Mr Murray was only added to the shortlist of candidates considered by an independent panel after Ms Haylen’s chief of staff pushed for him to be interviewed.
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