New South Wales health minister Ryan Park used a ministerial car and driver for a 456km journey from Sydney to Jindabyne during the ski season last August, sparking renewed controversy over the use of government vehicles.
The trip on 29 August 2024 coincided with the final weeks of the Interschools ski races, in which Park’s son was a competitor. Ministerial car logs released under a parliamentary order show the journey from Parliament House to the Snowy Mountains town. Park’s diaries do not list any formal events in Jindabyne on that day or the following day.
At the time, ministerial cars could be used for private purposes under the rules, which were tightened in February 2025 after transport minister Jo Haylen resigned over similar misuse. Park defended the trip, saying it was within the guidelines and that he “always followed the relevant rules”.
The premier, Chris Minns, tightened the rules after Haylen’s resignation, banning the use of ministerial cars for exclusively private purposes. Minns said he would not conduct an audit of other MPs’ use of government cars.
