Minns to ask transport minister about alleged second winery trip

NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen is facing accusations she used a taxpayer-funded chauffeur for a second winery trip that lasted more than 13 hours, less than two days after she denied typically using her ministerial driver for private outings.

While Premier Chris Minns continued to resist calls to sack his embattled minister, he said the fresh revelations were a “major concern” and would be looking into the claims. Labor MPs were questioning whether the Summer Hill MP could survive the week and, if the fresh allegations were substantiated, could force Minns’ hand.

Haylen has been contacted for comment.

Tuesday’s revelation came after Haylen was battered by successive allegations of improperly using her ministerial driver for personal use, including several trips from her holiday house in Caves Beach to drop her children at Saturday sport in Sydney and a jaunt west of the Blue Mountains for a weekend lunch.

Haylen is under immense pressure to fall on her sword after it emerged over the weekend she dispatched a driver from Sydney to Caves Beach at Lake Macquarie, to take herself, Housing Minister Rose Jackson, their husbands and two guests to a lunch at Brokenwood Estate winery on the Australia Day long weekend.

The 13-hour, 446-kilometre round-trip for a three-hour lunch in the Hunter Valley was technically within the ill-defined ministerial code. Minns slammed the decision on Monday as a “shocker” and “massive error of judgment”, saying he would tighten the rules to preclude this from happening again.

Premier Chris Minns has so far refused to sack Jo Haylen.Credit: Steven Siewert

During an interview with 2GB host Ben Fordham on Tuesday morning, Minns continued to defend his decision not to sack Haylen, saying she “went straight to work” after dropping her kids at weekend sport, and insisting the weekend lunch west of the Blue Mountains was in a professional capacity.

“I asked if there was other examples, and the media did too, and I was told that no, the answer is no,” he said.

But Minns was surprised when Fordham told him he was aware of a second “winery/tasting” trip last year that lasted longer than the already known, 13-hour visit to Brokenwood winery. The shock jock was light on details but foreshadowed the story would emerge later on Tuesday.

“I don’t know what you’re going to do if, as I’m informed, another example comes out …. that [the driver] took her on another winery slash wine tasting trip last year,” Fordham said.

Minns said while he was unaware of the second trip, and he was disadvantaged by not having the requisite information at his disposal, the fresh revelations raised concerns.

“I’d be very concerned if there was another example,” he said.

“If there’s other information and it comes to light and it’s presented to me, I can’t predict the future. Obviously, I have to take that into consideration. It would weigh very heavily on me.”

A review of Haylen’s ministerial diary showed she had no weekend meetings from October to the end of December.

In a press conference on Sunday, Haylen was asked point-blank whether she typically used ministerial drivers for private outings. She replied: “No. It is an instance, however, I acknowledge doesn’t pass the pub test”. She has committed to paying back the cost of the transportation, determined by the Premier’s Department to be $750.

She said she couldn’t recall any other examples, but there were “grey areas” in the use of drivers.

“Our jobs are 24/7, and it may be that the guidelines need to be considered, but in this instance, it’s not about the rules; it’s about the public’s expectation, which I failed,” she said.

Despite her apology and backing from the premier, Haylen has pulled out of the Tuesday’s annual Sydney Summit, hosted by think tank Committee for Sydney.

On the weekend, Minns said he was assured by Haylen that her Australia Day winery trip was an isolated incident.

“Having spoken to her [Haylen] over the last couple of days, she fully acknowledges this was a shocker, a major mistake, and I believe [her] when she says she’s not going to do it again … I think that there’s been a singular, a massive, but singular lapse here, and I think it was probably absent-minded of her, not malicious,” he said.

Labor MPs who spoke to this masthead on the condition of anonymity on Monday said the latest blunder was unforgivable, questioning whether she could survive as pressure mounted. One MP, speaking before the fresh revelations emerged, said she could only be further mishap away from being axed.