The last couple of weeks have seen former NSW Roads and Freight Minister Duncan Gay back in the news. The spotlight has returned to Duncan over a year after he stepped away from politics and 18 months after his term as NSW Roads and Freight Minister ended in the NSW Government reshuffle after Gladys Berejiklian took over as Premier of the State.
A couple of stories have been running in the Daily Telegraph and online with Crikey about Duncan’s activities since stepping down and retiring from politics in July 2017.
One report ran in the Daily Telegraph under the heading ‘Gay looks in driving seat for a plum job?’. The article went on to suggest Duncan has been lobbying the current NSW Roads Minister, Melinda Pavey, for her support in getting the job as Chair of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.
The current Chair is another former NSW Roads Minister, Bruce Baird. He was the minister in the NSW Government at the time of the Grafton truck and bus crash, which led to a massive clampdown on the trucking industry and the formation of the industry group the Road Transport Federation, now the Australian Trucking Association.
Further revelations in the Telegraph also suggested Melinda Pavey did not declare the meeting she had with Duncan. The story also referred to the position of NHVR Chair as a ‘$110,000 gig on a national road’s board’.
This follows reports in the press, including one on Crikey’s news website about NSW transport consultancy firm MU Group, the company Duncan joined after stepping down from parliament. MU Group are said to have employed 11 former Roads and Maritime Services employees.
