The NSW premier has backed a minister who used a taxpayer-funded driver to travel to and from a boozy winery lunch in the Hunter Valley, as claims of more trips emerge.A whistleblower has claimed that Jo Haylen used her ministerial driver multiple times to take her son between the family's beach house near Lake Macquarie and Saturday sport in Sydney.Haylen, the transport minister, said she would not "provide a running commentary on my movements since becoming a minister".
Transport Minister Jo Haylen will keep her job but will repay the cost of the driver. (Dominic Lorrimer)"Yesterday I made clear that my use of a ministerial driver last weekend was not right. I made the wrong decision. I am paying back the cost," Haylen said in a statement.Haylen said she had attended hundreds of events since becoming a minister and that she supported a review of the guidelines.Premier Chris Minns has ruled out sacking Haylen but has criticised her judgement. "This is a big black eye and a mark against us," Minns said."I've gotta cop it on the chin, it's not a good look at all."He condemned Haylen's decision to use her ministerial driver to travel 446km from Sydney to her holiday house at Caves Beach.The driver then took her, Housing Minister Rose Jackson, both their husbands and two friends to a private lunch at Brokenwood Winery in the Hunter Valley, where the menu starts at $105 per head, plus wines.The driver waited three hours for them to dine, before dropping them back to Caves Beach and returning to Sydney, 13 hours later. "This is a sackable offence, it shows a lack of respect for the taxpayer, a lack of respect for public money," NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said.But the premier has ruled out sacking two of his most prominent ministers."The truth of the matter is that both of them are in big portfolios and that I believe we need continuity in those jobs," Minns said.Haylen did not breach any rules, but the premier is now reviewing those regulations with the intent to tighten them."The public can have confidence it doesn't come down to a judgment call, it's just not allowed," he said.The transport minister will foot the $750 bill for her blunder but will maintain access to a taxpayer-funded driver.Her logbooks will now be under scrutiny to ensure this wasn't a repeated offence.
