Three painful days for Haylen to realise she might as well jump

It was always going to end like this. On day one of the chauffeur car scandal, Chris Minns could have asked Jo Haylen to stand aside. Or she could have offered. Instead, they left the government deeply wounded, writes Linda Silmalis.

Analysis: It has taken three painful days for now-former Transport Minister Jo Haylen to realise that she had to jump.

Despite the public in uproar after The Sunday Telegraph revealed how she had summoned her driver to her Caves Beach holiday house to take her and her friends to a boozy three-hour lunch in the Hunter Valley on what ended up being a 446km round trip, Ms Haylen refused to budge.

While acknowledging the sojourn — which happened to be for her best friend Housing Minister Rose Jackson’s 40th birthday — did not pass the “pub test”, she defiantly declared the use of the privilege was “within the rules”.

Her error was declaring that she could not recall if she had done it before, thereby challenging her political rivals and the media to find more examples.

It is very rare to hear ministerial drivers complain.

How the Telegraph broke, and continued to roll out the fresh revelations, in the Jo Haylen scandal. Pictures: News Corp

Notoriously discreet, there are only a few examples where an incident involving a minister’s use of a car has made its way into the public arena – and it is usually because it is of a minister behaving badly.

In 2017, there was the incident of the mystery vomiter in a car which had transported then-NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro and Liberal MP Eleni Petinos with from ANZ Stadium after a State of Origin match.

Ms Petinos ended up owning up and paying for the clean-up.

Former Liberal minister Don Harwin was accused of forcing his driver to wait five-and-a-half hours outside a Liberal Party preselection meeting. (He blamed the party’s “exhaustive balloting” system.)

Other instances have included ministers forcing drivers to wait while they did pilates, and taking the dog to the vet.

Late last week, drivers’ concerns at how Ms Haylen was using her driver filtered through to The Sunday Telegraph.

A copy of the log book revealing Jo Haylen summonsed her ministerial driver to collect her up the coast from Caves Beach before escorting her to and from private lunch at what ended up being a 446 kilometre round trip.

Despite the public outrage, Ms Haylen – backed by Premier Chris Minns – dug in.

On Monday, she faced further damning allegations that she had repeatedly used her taxpayer-funded personal driver for weekend sports trips.

Hours later, a family trip with her husband and children to an acreage owned by her then chief-of-staff Scott Gartrell west of the Blue Mountains was revealed. (She claimed it was “work”).

It was only after allegations of a second winery trip were put to her office by The Daily Telegraph on Monday – and to the premier by 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Tuesday – that she appeared to see the light.

A second winery trip “with my husband to the Hunter Valley” had taken place, Ms Haylen revealed.

And while she attempted to defend the trip by declaring she had been “working on that day”, she admitted the use of her personal driver “was an error of judgment by me”.

Could Ms Haylen genuinely not recall other uses of chauffeur-driven cars?

Did the Premier ask?

Mr Minns could have acted decisively and asked Ms Haylen to stand aside on day one, pending an audit of the log books and a tightening of the rules.

Ms Haylen could have also offered.

Jo Haylen arrives to addresses the media in a press conference in Sydney at which she reigned on Tuesday. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

Instead, they have left the government deeply wounded as it prepares to bring in a new parliamentary year.

It will also now have to find a new transport minister to take up where Ms Haylen left off in the as-yet-unresolved rail pay dispute.

Ms Haylen had been one of Mr Minns’ most loyal lieutenants, having backed him during leadership contests despite being from the rival left faction, and was also considered a friend.

A former staffer for Anthony Albanese and Julia Gillard, the Summer Hill MP had come state parliament with impeccable Labor credentials.

The use of a taxpayer-funded perk has brought many a politician undone.

Ms Haylen wasn’t the first. It is all but guaranteed she won’t be the last.

Originally published as Three painful days for Haylen to realise she might as well jump