MELBOURNE, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- A top Victorian government minister has been forced to apologize for using a taxpayer-funded chauffeur to ferry his two dogs up to 120 kilometers.
Steve Herbert, Victoria's minister for corrections, used the car, which was meant to take him to and from parliament house, to shuttle his two dogs, Patch and Ted, between his two properties while he was at work.
The journey between his Melbourne home in Parkdale, 30 km southeast of the CBD, and his country home in Trentham, 125 km northwest of Parkdale, could take up to two hours.
Herbert initially justified the trips, saying his driver had the time to do it, and refused to apologize.
"It suited the driver occasionally to pick up the dogs when she was doing nothing," Herbert told News Limited on Thursday.
"Quite frankly, there was absolutely no issue and if she didn't want to do it, she didn't have to."
However, following a meeting with Premier Daniel Andrews, Herbert issued an apology, admitting the trips were unacceptable.
"On reflection, this use of the ministerial car does not meet community expectations and I apologize," Herbert told reporters on Thursday.
Matthew Guy, leader of the opposition, said the apology did not go far enough, calling on Andrews to sack Herbert from his post for his "arrogant" behavior.
"I think Melburnians who are stuck in gridlock or trying to get onto a packed public transport system will be furious to hear of a state minister using a chauffeur-driven limousine to ferry his pets around town," Guy told the ABC on Thursday.
Andrews said that he accepted Herbert's apology and that was the end of the matter.
"He's made it very clear that what he did was inappropriate, he's apologized for that," Andrews told the ABC.
"He's indicated that that won't be happening again."
