Jo Haylen

Transport for NSW Secretary Appointment

In July 2023, Haylen faced criticism and controversy regarding her failure to disclose a perceived conflict of interest in connection with the appointment of Josh Murray as Secretary of Transport for NSW. It came to light that Murray had made financial contributions to Haylen's election campaign for the 2023 New South Wales state election. Additionally, he had previously served as the chief of staff for former Labor Premier Morris Iemma.

During the appointment process, an external recruitment consulting agency involved in the short-listing stage assessed that Murray "had not demonstrated the level of operational complexity required for this role". Despite that assessment, Murray was short-listed for the position, with emails released to a parliamentary inquiry showing a reported intervention from Haylen's office. The appointment of Josh Murray as secretary drew criticism from the Opposition, prompting a parliamentary inquiry into the matter. Haylen maintained her support for the appointment, and received backing from Premier, Chris Minns.^[10][11]

Departmental Liaison Officer Scandal

In October and November 2023, Haylen faced further controversy during budget estimates. It stemmed from allegations that a public service employee, Kieren Ash, who had been seconded to her office as a departmental liaison officer, was involved in political activities. The role of a departmental liaison officer traditionally entails being apolitical and facilitating communication between ministers and public service department staff. Ash faced accusations of organising a barbecue for NSW Labor volunteers following the 2023 state election and compiling a list of political reversals by the outgoing Coalition government. Ash had been the Labor candidate for Pittwater at the 2015 state election.^[12][13] Haylen denied knowing about Ash's political work and claimed to have only found out about it the week before the allegations were raised.^[14]

During the same period, Haylen's chief of staff, Scott Gartrell, resigned from his position. Haylen stated that Gartrell's departure had been planned for the end of the year.^[15]

Haylen consistently maintained that there was no impropriety from her office and continued to receive support from Premier Chris Minns, who rejected calls for her removal from her ministerial position.^[16]