Minister for Transport Jo Haylen has been accused by the Opposition of showing remarkable arrogance, as she defends the appointment of Josh Murray as Secretary of Transport for NSW.
“Despite the Government making integrity in politics a key election commitment, we’ve seen a string of broken promises and now a breathtaking case of jobs for the boys which the Government has tried to cover up,” Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said.
“Labor argued against releasing key documents that would shine light on Mr Murray’s appointment. The Premier must explain why he thinks it’s ok for a Minister to handpick a candidate and manipulate a recruitment process to get her way – is this an acceptable standard in the Minns Labor Government?”
It has been revealed that Mr Murray was not shortlisted for the position until Minister Haylen’s Chief of Staff added Mr Murray’s name prior to his appointment by the Minister.
“The new Minister met with Mr Murray within days after taking office and then appointed her underqualified Labor mate to one of the most senior public sector roles in NSW,” Shadow Transport Minister Natalie Ward said.
“When trying to defend her decision to overlook multiple qualified candidates, Minister Haylen arrogantly declared that she could have appointed him without even conducting a process –this is a government handing out jobs for the boys.”
“If this Government is going to have any credibility when it comes to integrity in politics, then the Premier and Minister Haylen must front up and explain how this appointment was allowed to happen.”
Despite Labor’s attempts to withhold key information, documents will be presented to Parliament next week.