Josh Murray tells parliamentary inquiry he didn't need to tell recruiter about $1,500 Labor donations

ABC NEWS (Australia)

It has been revelaed the former Labor staffer, Josh Murray, donated a total of almost 1,500 dollars to the ALP election campaign before he was hired to run the NSW state transport department.

Transcript

00:00 Slipping in the back entrance, Transport Secretary Josh Murray came to Parliament House to answer

00:07 questions about his appointment.

00:08 "Truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

00:12 In a heated inquiry room, Josh Murray defended a meeting with the Transport Minister in April,

00:21 a week before then Transport Secretary Rob Sharp was sacked.

00:25 "You didn't discuss the role at all?

00:27 No.

00:28 Did you discuss Rob Sharp?

00:29 No."

00:30 He also revealed he and his wife made a total of $1450 in donations to Joe Halen and Premier

00:37 Chris Minns' campaigns last year.

00:39 He didn't disclose it to recruiters, who ultimately labelled him a significant risk and said he

00:45 shouldn't be interviewed.

00:46 "Ethically, isn't this unacceptable and you should resign?"

00:50 "I went through a publicly advertised recruitment process and those matters were not material."

00:56 "You think that..."

00:58 "Order."

00:59 "My senior public servants right now have made donations to the other side of politics.

01:03 Now I'm not going to sack all them today."

01:06 Minister Halen declined to attend the hearing, instead taking questions from the media.

01:11 "I am not answerable to the upper house or to Liberal Party stunts."

01:16 "There was an opportunity for her to attend today."

01:19 "I'm a chief of staff, not a minder."

01:21 "Thank you for your advice."

01:24 The question for this inquiry is whether Joe Halen's involvement in the recruitment process

01:30 was a breach of the ministerial code.

01:32 The opposition says it is, but evidence from a leading government lawyer suggests otherwise.

01:38 "Under Rule 52, consultation with the minister is formally required.

01:43 So I think in that context it is not surprising that the minister would be consulted."

01:50 It's back to work for the Transport Secretary.

01:52 "How can you do your job with this cloud hanging over your appointment?"

01:56 "Well I think processes like today are important for the people of New South Wales to ask the

02:00 questions."

02:01 A question of rules and ethics.

02:04 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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