Jo Haylen refuses to release investigation into whether a bureaucrat broke the rules in her office
Under-siege Transport Minister Jo Haylen called for an investigation into the work a Labor-linked public servant was doing in her office, but the result will be kept secret.
NSW
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Embattled Transport Minister Jo Haylen plans to cover up an investigation into whether a bureaucrat on loan to her office broke the rules by doing party political work, by keeping its findings under wraps.
Ms Haylen has used the ongoing investigation as a way to avoid answering questions over what she knew about the work Kieren Ash was doing when he was seconded into her office.
It can now be revealed that the investigation – being led by Transport for NSW’s Chief People Officer – will never be released.
Ms Haylen refused to say whether the outcome of the investigation would be made public when she fronted budget estimates last month.
Now she has confirmed it will be kept secret.
“Given the duties of confidentiality and privacy owed to employees, Transport for NSW will not be making the outcomes of an investigation into the actions of an individual employee public,” she told parliament in a written answer.
A spokesman said that Mr Ash “has a right to procedural fairness and to privacy”.
Government sources argued that it would be highly unusual to release the outcome of an employment investigation into a public servant, and releasing the report put the government up at risk of litigation.
Coalition Roads spokeswoman Natalie Ward accused Ms Haylen of trying to hide her involvement in the saga.
“The Minister has admitted the operative’s actions were in breach of the code of conduct, the only reason to withhold it is because she is clearly implicated in the investigation.”
Meanwhile, documents tabled to parliament have revealed that the son of Ms Haylen’s former Chief of Staff Scott Gartrell was hand-picked for a secondment in another ministerial office.
Paddy Gartrell sent his CV to Labor’s “Government Staffing Unit” shortly after the election.
David Tierney, who ran the staffing committee, then sent Mr Gartrell’s CV around to a number of offices.
“When our unit comes across interesting CVs that may be relevant we are voluntarily forwarding them to the various ministerial offices,” he said.
Paddy Gartrell was not hired as a staffer, but was later seconded into the office of Mental Health minister Rose Jackson as a departmental liaison officer (DLO) – at her office’s request.
Mr Gartrell works as a public servant in NSW Health, specialising in mental health.
Ms Jackson said he was an “experienced and skilled public servant”.
“It is my expectation that all DLOs remain politically impartial,” she said.
Health Minister Ryan Park has also been embroiled in the saga around DLOs, with documents revealing he personally requested a Labor-linked bureaucrat from the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District to be loaned to his office.
The NSW Health worker has links to the Health Services Union and was in 2016 appointed to Labor’s “Health Society Policy Committee”.
Mr Park’s spokesman said the bureaucrat only lasted a few weeks in the office and “returned to their regular role” in April as substantive office appointments were made.
The documents also revealed that ministers in the previous government also chose their preferred public servants to be sent up from the department.
The documents revealed that former Coalition Water Minister Melinda Pavey’s chief of staff once ignored a bureaucrat suggested by the department and asked for a public servant who had previously been loaned to the Deputy Premier.
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