The NSW health minister used his government car for a trip to the snowfields last August. A similar indiscretion cost a colleague her ministry earlier this year.
NSW health minister Ryan Park is quietly simmering in hot water today after The Guardian revealed he used his ministerial car for a 456km trip to the snowfields of Jindabyne in August 2024, allegedly to watch his son compete in a ski race.
Trips for private purposes were allowed under the rules in place at the time, however in February this year then transport minister Jo Haylen was forced to resign after it was revealed she had used her ministerial car and driver to take herself and friends to lunch at a Hunter Valley vineyard on the Australia Day long weekend. She also admitted to another trip with her husband in 2024.
Immediately following Ms Haylen’s resignation, Premier Chris Minns tightened the rules, banning the use of ministerial cars “for exclusively private purposes”. He also refused to audit other MPs’ use of ministerial cars, saying he trusted his colleagues.
According to The Guardian’s report, Mr Park’s snowfields trip was from Parliament House in Macquarie Street to Jindabyne, and it was listed in ministerial car logs released under an order for papers earlier in April.
Earlier this year The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Mr Park took two trips to Thredbo, in November and December. “On both occasions, his driver clocked an almost 1000km round trip ferrying him to the popular Snowy Mountains destination before driving back alone,” said the SMH.
At the time Mr Park said the use of the vehicle allowed him to “reunite with family while undertaking work on a handful of other occasions”. Prior to the November trip, Mr Park attended a cancer fundraiser on the Friday evening before joining his family who had left the day before. In December, he had been attending the NSW Drug Summit before a national health ministers meeting on the day before the journey.
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Also at the time, Mr Park said his job was “24/7” and that using the car allowed him to “perform my duties while commuting, whether to review briefs of correspondence, or confer with my colleagues”.
“Since I was sworn in, I’ve received over 26,000 pieces of correspondence and over 3200 briefs about the most serious and significant issues facing our health system and the people who rely on it,” he said. “Every moment I’ve had the privilege of being a minister, my focus has been on working for the people of NSW.”
The question now becomes, does Mr Park’s misuse of ministerial cars and drivers equate to the offences Ms Haylen committed that resulted in her resignation?
If they do, will he also be forced to resign? If they do, and he doesn’t resign, what does that say about Ms Haylen’s resignation?
HSD has reached out to Mr Park, Premier Minns and NSW Health for comment on this story. They had not responded by publication. This article will be updated when responses are received.