NSW transport minister Jo Haylen has resigned after she was found using her taxpayer-funded driver for private trips and winery visits.
Ministerial cars and drivers can be used for private purposes under the current rules in NSW, but Haylen admitted the Hunter Valley winery lunch failed the “pub test”.
“We were elected to be better than the last Government.
“This morning I told the Premier I will resign my position as Minister for Transport. I will continue to serve the Government as the Member for Summer Hill.”
NSW premier Chris Minns released a statement about the situation, acknowledging that Haylen had “paid a high price” for her “error of judgement”.
“This morning, Minister Haylen advised me that she intends to resign as the Minister for Transport, and I have accepted her resignation,” Minns says.
Minns says he has updated the vehicle use policy in the Minister’s Office Handbook to ban the use of ministerial drivers for exclusively private purposes.
“The best way to fix this is to change the rules, and that is what I have done today,” he says.
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