Chris Minns has conceded that a big gap between what is allowable under ministerial rules and what is good judgment was exposed by Jo Haylen’s taxpayer-funder chauffeur scandal.
“To be in government, you can’t just scrape by with the minimum by saying that somebody who acts on in the rules, but in a way that doesn’t sit right,” Minns told a press conference this morning.
He said it was a mistake not to have changed the rules around private use of ministerial drivers on day one.
NSW Premier Chris Minns addressed the media the morning after Haylen’s resignation.Credit: Nick Moir
“We’ve waited two years, and that was a mistake that I made in terms of ensuring the rules are straightforward and the public has confidence that their money is being used effectively, but I am confident, having changed those rules, that we can restore a measure of trust and confidence for taxpayers.”
While continuing to defend Haylen’s character, Minns said the element of the scandal that was “particularly damaging for the government” was the “disrespect shown to the driver”, who worked a 13-hour shift to drive Haylen’s group to a private lunch.
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“Somebody who works in the public service, someone who joined the public service, expecting that, yes, you’ll be driving ministers around, but it’s in the service and the duty of public service, that’s where this has fallen down,” Minns said.
“I think that this is a really important message for me to send to the government, and that is, having a driver is a privilege. It’s not a right.”
Minns flagged that Housing Minister Rose Jackson, who was present for Haylen’s chauffeured private lunch to the Hunter Valley on Australia Day, will speak to the media later today.
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