Jo Haylen’s office put forward candidate for new public servant role

The Transport Minister’s office asked her department to set up a new public service job and put forward a suggested candidate, in a move which sparked legal concerns from top bureaucrats.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen’s office asked her department to set up a new public service job and even put forward a suggested candidate for the role, in a move which immediately sparked “legal concerns” from top bureaucrats.

The request is the third jobs-for-mates scandal to hit the embattled minister, who is fighting to keep her job over revelations a public servant on loan to her office engaged in political work he was banned from doing.

Opposition Roads spokeswoman Natalie Ward on Wednesday accused Ms Haylen’s former chief of staff Scott Gartrell of breaking the rules by asking then-Transport boss Rob Sharp to create a new role, before putting forward a preferred candidate.

A budget estimates hearing on Tuesday heard that shortly after the election, Mr Gartrell asked Mr Sharp to create a new role in his department to manage Labor’s transition to government.

“The minister’s chief of staff said to the former secretary, ‘We would like you to create an executive director role to head up that transition office’ and then indicated that he would be providing the former secretary with a name for that role,” Transport for NSW Chief of Staff Susan Carroll told parliament.

Embattled Minister for Transport Jo Haylen MP Minister for Transport pictured during the transport budget estimates hearing at NSW parliament. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Bureaucrats then scrambled to seek legal advice, which ultimately shelved the request.

“The former secretary raised with the minister’s chief of staff that he had legal concerns with that request,” Ms Carroll said.

“There were legal issues with the first request, so that was not progressed.”

The role was, however, ultimately created, with the minister’s office putting forward a name. Former point to point transport commissioner Barbara Wise was initially appointed, before a proper recruitment process took place.

The Telegraph understands Ms Wise was not the name put forward by Ms Haylen’s office.

“The Minister provided no direction on this appointment,” a spokesman for Ms Haylen said.

The Coalition accused Ms Haylen’s office of trying to unlawfully tell the department who to hire.

“This is rorting the public service for Jo Haylen’s political gain,” Ms Ward said.

A spokeswoman said Ms Haylen did not direct the appointment. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The law governing public sector employment states that a departmental secretary is “not subject to the direction or control of a minister” on who to hire.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph can reveal that Ms Haylen took a public servant loaned to her office to a Business Western Sydney conference in June.

The public servant, Kieran Ash, has been exposed as conducting political work for Ms Haylen despite being paid as an impartial public servant.

Documents released to parliament show Mr Ash asked for notes given to the minister ahead of “accompanying her to a couple of events” on June 2.

“Just need to get across the details,” Mr Ash said in an email to another one of Ms Haylen’s staff.

Mr Ash accompanied Ms Haylen to the Greater Parramatta and Olympic Peninsula conference hosted by Business Western Sydney, where Ms Haylen gave a speech.

Ms Haylen’s spokesman said it was “appropriate for DLOs and public servants to attend events to discuss transport”.