Steak tartare, wood-fired squid: The boozy lunch behind Haylen’s expenses controversy
Premier Chris Minns has doubled down on his criticism of two ministers who used a taxpayer funded van to take them to and from a winery, but has said he will not sack them. Tell us what you think, take our poll.
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Premier Chris Minns has called the decision of both his Transport and Housing ministers to be chauffeured by a taxpayer-funded ministerial driver to a private winery lunch a “massive error of Judgement” but has refused to sack either minister.
Speaking to media on Monday, the Premier said he had told both Transport Minister Jo Haylen and Housing Minister Rose Jackson it shouldn’t have taken place.
“The real error, in addition to NSW taxpayers being concerned about how their money is being used, is also the treatment of a public servant,” he said.
“A hard working public servant, someone turns up every single day, works hard on behalf of the people of NSW shouldn’t be treated in this manner on a purely personal trip.
“It shouldn’t have taken place. I’ve made that clear, and I believe and expect all my ministerial colleagues to not just abide by the rules as they’re written, but to show good judgment when dealing with the public money.”
Despite saying he had censured both Ministers the Premier refused to sack Ms Haylen, saying he had been assured it would not happen again.
When asked if he was concerned about Ms Haylen’s Judgement in her ministerial role, the Premier said when working on complex issues such as industrial disputes and transport rollouts he had “confidence that its been handled appropriately”.\
Mr Minns said he had urgently sought advice on changing the rules around the use of ministerial drivers with the view to banning their use for anything that does not assist them in their work.
This could mean pick up and drop offs to private parties may no longer be acceptable under potential new guidelines.
“The job of a driver is to help the minister in their role,” he said.
“There may be a point in time for a busy Minister’s life if the kids have dropped off at school on the way to the office with the Minister in the car.
“It must be in the service of the Minister doing their job - if it’s a purely private function and nothing to do with work and doesn’t help them do their job then the answer is no.”
WHAT WAS ON THE MENU?
It comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed a boozy lunch at a popular Hunter Valley winery, complete with steak tartare and wood-fired squid was at the centre of an expenses controversy after the embattled Transport Minister summoned a taxpayer-funded ministerial driver to chauffeur her and five friends for a private Australia Day get together.
Earlier, on Sunday, Mr Minns dressed down Ms Haylen, one of his closest political allies, after The Daily Telegraph revealed she had organised for her ministerial driver to take the party, which included Housing Minister Rose Jackson, from Ms Haylen’s Caves Beach holiday home to lunch at The Wood Restaurant at Brokenwood Estate.
Mr Minns said he would review the rules around private use of the taxpayer funded drivers to prevent further occurrences.
“This is clearly unacceptable,” he said.
“It’s not on for drivers to be used in this way. I’ve asked the Cabinet Office to provide advice on changing the guidelines so this can’t happen again.”
The driver clocked a 446km round trip, leaving in a Kia Carnival at 8am on January 25 from his Rockdale home to pick up Ms Haylen, Ms Jackson, Ms Haylen’s husband Garth Williams, Ms Jackson’s husband Sam Crosby and two other friends at Caves Beach.
The driver waited three hours while they finished their meal before dropping them back at the holiday house by 4pm, returning to Rockdale almost 13 hours later at 8:50pm.
During the lunch at The Wood Restaurant where a basic set menu starts at $105 per person, multiple bottles of wine were ordered of both white and red including a Brokenwood Semillon.
The party shared plates of steak tartare, grilled sashimi grade squid, grain fed steak and steamed broccoli.
Ms Haylen apologised on Sunday for the use of the driver and promised to pay back the $750 trip.
Ms Haylen said the driver had been organised the day prior and confirmed all members of the party had been drinking at the restaurant. While ministers are entitled to use ministerial cars and drivers for private use, Ms Haylen said the incident “didn’t pass the pub test”.
“I made the wrong decision here. I apologise for it.”
When asked if she had used her taxpayer-funded ministerial driver to chauffeur her from private parties in the past she said she could not say.
“I don’t recall that, however, I can’t say that definitively. There are grey areas and our jobs are 24/7,” she said.
“In this instance it’s not about the rules, it’s about the public expectation which I failed to meet.”
Ms Haylen said in hindsight she should have called an Uber. An hour-long Uber trip from her Caves Beach house to the Brokenwood Estate near Pokolbin would have cost close to $150 each way, a significantly cheaper cost than the $750 the Transport Minister will need to repay.
Ms Haylen’s actions have outraged her Labor colleagues, many of whom told The Daily Telegraph on Sunday they were astonished by Ms Haylen’s outrageous “entitlement” and “disrespect” for her driver who had to wait while her companions enjoyed their meal.
“I wouldn’t even do that to an Uber driver,” one said.
“This doesn’t just fail the pub test, it doesn’t even get to the pub, let alone the cellar.”
Another Labor MP questioned why she would risk her political career over “such a dumbass thing”.
Ministerial driver shifts over 12 hours require a signed risk safety assessment and additional check-ins. Despite the vehicle logbook registering a 13-hour trip, a spokesperson from the Premier’s Department said the driver’s shift did not exceed 12 hours, meaning no safety assessment was required.
NSW Opposition leader Mark Speakman called on both Ms Haylen and Ms Jackson to resign over the use of the ministerial vehicle for their boozy winery lunch.
Mr Speakman called the use of the Kia van “an abuse of taxpayer funds”.
“Those ministers must have known,” he said.
“Rose Jackson and Jo Haylen must resign … Haylen organised the vehicle but Rose Jackson is clearly complicit in what happened.
“This is also a test for Chris Minns, if his ministers don’t resign he has to sack them.”
Ms Jackson has previously said she believes the date of Australia Day should be changed.
“It’s not a date that really works for me,” she said back in 2023.
Speakman doubled down on his criticism on Monday morning, claiming the ministers abused their privilege.
“With that privilege, and it is a privilege, comes the responsibility to use it appropriately, and it can’t be appropriate to get an agency to ferry your mates around to a boozy lunch in the Hunter Valley at taxpayer expense,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
“You don’t need guidelines to tell you that, and that’s why this minister has acted wrongly and she needs to go.
“This is a test of his leadership. This is as much about Chris Minns as it is about Jo Haylen and Rose Jackson.”
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Originally published as Steak tartare, wood-fired squid: The boozy lunch behind Haylen’s expenses controversy
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