Why Haylen had to go – and why the premier resisted pushing her

Premier Chris Minns has shown sound judgment in his 23 months in the top job but standing by a minister who put perks before taxpayers was going to do permanent damage to the Labor leader.

That is why Transport Minister Jo Haylen could not have survived the scandal involving her use of a ministerial chauffeur. It would have exposed Minns – Labor’s best asset – as being weak at a time when voters desperately want strong leadership.

Premier Chris Minns owes much of his political support to his Transport Minister Jo HaylenCredit: Steve Siewert

To fix the escalating mess, Minns vowed to overhaul the rules that outline how taxpayer-funded ministerial drivers can be used. Those guidelines are currently vague and broad.

But ultimately, it took Haylen to fall on her sword for the scandal to stop sucking air from the government.

Haylen may well not have technically broken the rules by dispatching a taxpayer-funded driver to chauffeur her to a boozy lunch, a weekend in the Blue Mountains, or to ferry her kids to Saturday sport from the family’s Caves Beach holiday house.

But she showed she was completely lacking in political sagacity.

Of course, the premier only promised to change those rules because Haylen was caught. Had the driver logs not been leaked, there would have been no appetite to tighten the vague guidelines. And nor should there.

With antisemitic attacks sweeping Sydney, a bitter, drawn-out rail dispute, a looming mental health emergency as psychiatrists quit the public system and a housing crisis, NSW Labor has better things to do than turn its mind to rules around ministers summoning their drivers.

Surely a competent minister should be able to exercise good judgment when it comes to the use of taxpayer funds, whether portfolio or perks related?

Instead, Haylen’s judgment had been sorely lacking.

Labor advisers are at pains to stress that the former Coalition government also abused the driver guidelines. To suggest that past ministers have done the same, or worse, when it comes to the use of ministerial drivers is not a defence.

Perhaps they did book outlandish trips, but the Coalition government was booted out because voters decided it was a tired administration and that 12 years was enough. The “what about them” excuse is not good enough. NSW Labor was elected, in part, because of its commitment to integrity.

To worsen it for Haylen, she had already survived a very early political near-death experience.

She only just held on to her job in the early days of the Minns government over her pick for the secretary of her transport department. Josh Murray, a former Labor staffer and small-time donor, was chosen for the job in a clumsy appointment process, which included a recruitment panel initially considering Murray a “significant risk” due to his lack of operational experience.

Minns was dragged into it and had to downplay his 20-year friendship with Murray, insisting he had no role in the appointment. Haylen then faced calls to resign after she parachuted a Labor-aligned ally into an apolitical department liaison role in her office. She denied any wrongdoing, but her then-chief of staff, Scott Gartrell, was forced out of his role.

This pattern of poor judgment is especially surprising given that Haylen was a Labor staffer for former prime minister Julia Gillard and now-Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Indeed, she was working in Canberra during the wineries scandal involving former Labor-appointed speaker Peter Slipper.

Slipper used taxpayer-funded Cabcharge vouchers to visit wineries around Canberra. He was convicted of defrauding the government, but that was overturned on appeal.

If Minns allows his ministers to marinate in a culture of entitlement, the shine comes off the premier quickly.

Minns has bucked the trend of other incumbent governments and Labor’s primary vote has (marginally) increased. He remains well ahead of Opposition Leader Mark Speakman as preferred premier and polling suggests his signature housing policy of boosting density has increasing support. But an own goal such as Haylen’s can quickly undo all that.

There were political benefits in Minns sticking by Haylen. Despite hailing from different factions, Haylen and her long-time friend Rose Jackson were key backers of Minns in his bid to become leader. The two Labor Left-wingers helped to reshape Minns’ image from a Sussex Street hardhead to a competent, thoughtful leader who would bring Labor back to power.

They were successful, and Minns has proven to be the right choice for Labor. But if Minns allows his ministers to marinate in a culture of entitlement, the shine comes off the premier quickly. And once it is gone, it is very difficult to get back.

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