Former Labor staffer Josh Murray has revealed that he and his wife made $1,450 worth of donations to the party before he was hand-picked by the New South Wales transport minister, Jo Haylen, to lead her department.
Murray and his wife made the donations via three separate Labor events, including at a campaign event for the now-premier, Chris Minns, which he didn’t declare during his recruitment for the $588,250-a-year transport secretary role.
The previously undisclosed donations came to light on Thursday morning as Murray gave evidence before a parliamentary committee examining his controversial appointment to the plum position.
Haylen, who has said she has nothing to hide, refused to appear before the inquiry.
Murray, who served as chief of staff to former Labor premier Morris Iemma and was more recently an executive at Laing O’Rourke, revealed to the committee that he had been friends with Minns for 20 years.
But Murray insisted that he had not hidden his experience as a Labor staffer and that his political background was “writ clear” on his CV and then documented by the government in the press release announcing his appointment.
Minns defended the transport head’s decision not to declare the relationship with the premier during the process, insisting the opposition would have accused Murray of pressuring the selection panel if he had.
“I’m friendly with Josh Murray. That’s absolutely right. I think I probably caught up with him six times in the last decade,” he said.
“I didn’t appoint him to this position. It was not my decision.”
Haylen has come under fire after it was revealed her office intervened in the recruitment process at multiple stages, including to have Murray added to the shortlist of candidates, and that he and his wife had donated $750 to her election campaign.
At the inquiry on Thursday, Murray revealed the additional donations.
His wife, Davina Langton, paid $500 for tickets to a dinner at NSW parliament, and another $200 for a trivia night, the hearing was told. Both fundraising events were held last year.
The acting secretary of the premier’s department, Peter Duncan, told the committee he would have sought legal advice if Haylen had disclosed during the recruitment process that she had received a campaign donation from Murray.
“Simply, in a process like that, if that was declared to me, I would refer it for advice, particularly legal advice,” Duncan said.
Under intense questioning by independent upper house MP Mark Latham, Murray insisted he had made all of the disclosures he was required to under the state’s electoral laws and that he had attended the events as a “private citizen”.
Murray said he hadn’t discussed the transport secretary vacancy with Minns or Haylen before the latter’s chief of staff, Scott Gartrell, sent him the job advertisement.
Documents released through parliament previously revealed Gartrell intervened in the recruitment process to recommend that Murray be interviewed despite recruiters warning he wasn’t experienced enough for the job.
Gartrell told the inquiry on Thursday that he stood by his actions. He said his involvement in the process was “appropriate” and did not amount to interference.
He said he sent the job advertisement for the transport secretary role to three people, including Murray, after they met earlier this year.
Gartrell told the inquiry that the headhunting firm hired by the government “did a pretty ordinary job” and hadn’t “fully understood the brief”, but Murray nevertheless came through the process as “the best candidate”.
The opposition has accused the government of engaging in “jobs for the boys” and raised concerns that Murray’s appointment may have breached the state’s government sector employment laws.
The laws are designed to prohibit ministers from interfering in or influencing recruitment processes that are deemed to be merit-based.
The New South Wales Public Service deputy commissioner, Chris Lamb, told the inquiry he agreed that a minister’s office should not interfere in a merit-based recruitment process.
He said the panel set up to field candidates for the shortlist was not made aware that Murray and his family had donated to Labor or that Murray had longstanding relationships with Minns or Haylen, so it could undertake an “impartial assessment”.
At the inquiry, Murray rejected the idea that there was a “conspiracy” behind his appointment.
“I made a tough career call based on the opportunity to make a difference. If I was asked to apply again tomorrow knowing what I know now, I would still say yes,” he said.
