The Sauce: Don Harwin attends gala dinner with future in limbo

Embattled MP Don Harwin attends gala dinner, controversial public servant back walking halls of parliament and Chris Minns put on the spot by business figure. Don’t miss The Sauce.

His job is on the line after a horror week but ‘Teflon’ Don Harwin was nothing but smiles when he rocked up to Parliament House on Saturday night for a Bicentenary Gala Dinner.

The embattled NSW Liberal Party president emerged from hiding on Saturday night, grinning at our cameras when he reached Macquarie Street.

He even went as far to tell The Sauce correspondent Emily Kowal his week had been “really good.”

There was no response when asked if he thought the Liberal party review into the council nominations fiasco would clear him of any culpability.

Harwin was seated next to former minister Melinda Pavey, former speaker Jonathan O’Dea, former shadow minister John Ryan and Patricia Forsythe, also a former Liberal MP.

Don Harwin attends Sydney Parliament House for the Bicentennial Dinner. Picture Thomas Lisson

He would have not been the only political figure in attendance sporting flesh wounds after this week, with shadow attorney general Alister Henskens – who was last week forced to publicly deny implying Opposition leader Mark Speakman was dishonest in text messages divulged on Ray Hadley’s midmorning 2GB program – also on the guest list, along with his frontbench colleague Anthony Roberts.

Don Harwin at the gala dinner on Saturday night. Picture: Supplied

While things may have been smoothed over between Henskens and Speako, the same cannot be said for Nationals firebrand Wes Fang who was this week continuing to sling mud at the Liberal leader despite being stripped of his assistant shadow minister roles for his last public attack on Speako.

This week, he came back for more, accusing Speako of being “all foam, no beer” after the Libs abandoned legal action over the nominations fiasco.

Premier Chris Minns and his wife, Anna Minns, were also down to attend, alongside most of the his ministers.

Back to work

A public servant who was dragged into a staffing scandal involving Transport Minister Jo Haylen is soon to be back walking the corridors of Parliament House.

Kieren Ash was seconded to Ms Haylen’s office from Transport for NSW as a department liaison officer when he was accused of doing political work, including organising a barbecue for Labor election volunteers.

Jo Haylen and Kieren Ash.

Haylen denied knowing about Ash’s political work, with the former party candidate later resigning.

After moving to a senior role with the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, The Sauce has been told Ash now been recruited by lobbying firm Counsel House as a director.

Posting on LinkedIn, Counsel House director and former Labor MP Mick Veitch said Ash was held in “particularly high regard” in NSW political circles.

NO ENCORE

Chris Minns headed to Parramatta this week to address a Business Western Sydney event.

Executive Director David Borger didn’t miss his chance to put the Premier on the spot and lobby him for new infrastructure. In front of 200 or so business types, Borger played the now legendary video clip of then-Opposition leader Minns in a radio studio, peeling off the opening riff to AC/DC’s Thunderstruck.

David Borger put Chris Minns on the spot. Picture: Supplied

Afterwards, Borger suggested the Premier could provide more arts and entertainment space in the booming Parramatta metropolis, and open it by reprising his guitar heroics.

A modest Minns politely declined, saying a Premier would need some ego to fund a performance space, then make himself the opening act.