Questions raised over ministers’ car use amid new revelations about Jo Haylen

More than 4300 pages of documents released under freedom of information laws have revealed ministers’ trips in taxpayer-funded chauffeur-driven vehicles.

Ministerial driver log books have revealed former transport minister Jo Haylen took more than 20 trips to and from her holiday house at Caves Beach, including over the January school holidays when she was dealing with the rail dispute.

The confidential log books – released under freedom of information laws – showed Ms Haylen’s ministerial drivers recorded the trips between her electorate of Marrickville and Caves Beach, round-trips to and from Caves Beach, and between Sydney Airport and Caves Beach.

It is not clear if the recorded entries represent all the trips to and from Caves Beach, given the entry for the Australia Day weekend winery trip that ultimately led to Ms Haylen’s resignation as transport minister had been recorded by her Rockdale-based driver as “Rockdale to Rockdale”.

In January, negotiations between the Minns government and combined rail union broke down, prompting the start of eight major work bans, including a “go slow”.

The Daily Telegraph does not suggest Ms Haylen was not working at her full capacity despite travelling to and from Caves Beach.

Jo Haylen resigned as minister over her use of taxpayer-funded cars, revealed by The Telegraph. Picture: Gaye Gerard

The logbooks show there were two “document runs” on January 9 this year by drivers, from her electorate of Marrickville to government offices at 52 Martin Place.

On January 10, the logbooks record Ms Haylen as being in Caves Beach.

Four days later, on January 14, a trip is recorded from Caves Beach to Marrickville before another trip is listed on the same day from 52 Martin Place to Caves Beach.

From January 15 to 19, there are trips back and forth from Caves Beach, and then the 446km Brokenwood winery trip on the 25th for Housing Minister Rose Jackson’s 40th birthday.

The log book revealing Ms Haylen’s January 25 trip to a Hunter Valley winery.

Ms Haylen also used a ministerial pool driver to get to the SCG for each day of the Sydney Cricket Test this year.

She resigned from her ministerial post in early February, after declaring the trip had not passed the “pub test”, and after another winery trip – during which she said she worked – emerged.

She said the trips had been within the rules.

Premier Chis Minns has now changed the rules about use of ministerial drivers. Picture: Glen Campbell

“As I have said previously, all of the travel I undertook was in accordance with the rules,” Ms Haylen said.

“These trips allowed me to travel to and from work events and reunite with my family.

“Ministers work 24/7 and I continued to perform my ministerial duties and worked during those journeys.”

Ms Haylen pledged to repay the full cost of the trip, but Liberal Treasury spokesman Damien Tudehope has questioned whether she was given a “heavily discounted” rate.

Natalie Ward, as Acting Opposition Leader, was driven to the South Coast in July 2023 and January 2024. Picture: John Appleyard

The new revelations about Ms Haylen’s use of ministerial drivers came from 4358 pages of documents released on Thursday.

They reveal that ministers were routinely chauffeured to and from holidays, which was within the rules at the time but has now been banned.

Acting Opposition Leader Natalie Ward was also driven to the South Coast in July 2023 and January 2024.

While dates of the trips were released, the times drivers started and finished work were omitted from the heavily-redacted documents.

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