Victorian Labor MP Steve Herbert has been using chauffeur-driven government cars to transport his pet dogs Patch and Ted around, on trips as long as two hours, the Herald Sun reported.
When the Herald Sun approached Mr Herbert on Wednesday evening over the allegations, it reported that he justified the jaunts, saying “it suited the driver occasionally to pick up the dogs when she was doing nothing”.
“Quite frankly, there was absolutely no issue and if she didn’t want to do it, she didn’t have to,” he said, adding he did not know how many times the dogs were ferried.
However on Thursday morning, Mr Herbert issued an apology.
“Being a minister in a senior portfolio, it’s a tough job, it’s [a] really tough job, and sometimes you make mistakes and this was one of them,” he said.
He said he had been experiencing trouble managing “domestic arrangements” once “additional responsibilities” were given to him for the corrections portfolio.
“It was done because I needed to do something about the dogs, I couldn’t leave them, and I had few options,” Mr Herbert said.
Victorian Liberal Party Leader Matthew Guy MP called for Mr Herbert to step down in light of the revelations.
“Caught out bullying and rorting ... this Andrews government minister must resign tomorrow,” he said.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said while he did not condone such behavior, Mr Herbert would not be dismissed from his portfolio.
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