THE SQUIZ
NSW’s corruption watchdog has found former Premier Gladys Berejiklian engaged in “serious corrupt conduct” while a senior figure in the state government – but it has stopped short of recommending she face criminal charges. The main findings against Berejiklian released yesterday go back to when she was Treasurer between 2016-18. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) says because she was in a secret relationship with Liberal MP Daryl Maguire at the time, she breached the public’s trust when she pushed for projects worth $15 million in Maguire’s Wagga electorate covering without disclosing their personal connection. And it found she failed to report her suspicions that Maguire may have been engaged in corrupt activities – an obligation of all state members of parliament.

WHAT ELSE HAS ICAC HAD TO SAY?
Almost 2 years after launching its investigation into the then-premier that prompted her resignation from politics, ICAC released some of the evidence it gathered to demonstrate the seriousness of the pair’s relationship. That includes a tapped phone conversation where Maguire told her “I am the boss, even when you’re the Premier” – Berejiklian’s response was “yes, I know”. The former state leader has consistently downplayed the depth of her Maguire situationship – but ICAC also published a message where she refers to him as her “family”. The watchdog also released its take on Maguire’s conduct yesterday, recommending criminal charges over his alleged dodgy wheeling and dealing. 

CRIKEY…
Yep, but Berejiklian says her legal team is looking at the findings. “At all times I have worked my hardest in the public interest. Nothing in this report demonstrates otherwise,” she said. Her former cabinet colleague Matt Kean was a bit more plain-spoken, accusing ICAC of taking 2 years “to tell us that Gladys Berejiklian has not broken the law.” And that’s the rub for many of her supporters – that her conduct has been called corrupt, but there is no recommendation of charges. Not others, including former NSW Supreme Court judge Anthony Whealy, say her case is “a clear-cut case of a conflict of interest”. It’s also worth noting NSW’s newish Premier Chris Minns is not gunning for his one-time political opponent – he’s noted the report took a long time to complete and praised Berejiklian for her leadership during COVID. And her current employer Optus is standing by her, saying it has “no further comment to make”.