Gladys Berejiklian, once revered for her competent handling of the pandemic as the NSW premier, has experienced a spectacular downfall that took nearly 1,000 days. In 2020, she was hailed as Australia’s most popular premier for her efforts in navigating the country through the darkest days of the Covid-19 crisis. It seemed as though nothing could tarnish her reputation.
However, 990 days ago, she shocked everyone by revealing her secret five-year relationship with Daryl Maguire, an admission she made during an ICAC inquiry into Mr. Maguire in October 2020. At the time of her disclosure, their relationship had only recently ended. While some called for her resignation, she chose to tough it out, and it would take another year and the opening of an ICAC inquiry into her conduct before she stepped down.
After almost two years, her fall from grace is now complete, as ICAC found that she had engaged in serious corrupt conduct by breaching public trust in 2016 and 2017 through her involvement in funding decisions for a gun club and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music, both in Mr. Maguire’s electorate. Ironically, the music conservatorium, which was announced during their secret relationship, never came to fruition due to an inadequate business case.
Despite the ICAC findings, Ms. Berejiklian issued a defiant statement, expressing gratitude to the people of NSW for their unwavering support. She staunchly maintained that she had always acted in the public interest and challenged the report’s implication otherwise. However, the Commission rejected her claim that she was unaware of her obligation to disclose her relationship with Mr. Maguire. According to ICAC, her failure to disclose her relationship in relation to the funding decisions cannot be attributed to an honest error of judgment.
Critics such as former NSW treasurer Matt Kean argued that ICAC had taken two years to reveal that Ms. Berejiklian hadn’t broken the law. However, under the ICAC Act, corrupt conduct encompasses any dishonest or partial exercise of a public official’s duties and any breach of public trust.
Daryl Maguire, a former Liberal MP representing Wagga Wagga, had a close association with Ms. Berejiklian. He had been implicated in a corruption inquiry involving Canterbury Council and ended up resigning from the Liberal Party and his official roles in August 2018. Ms. Berejiklian revealed during an ICAC inquiry in October 2020 that they had been in a close personal relationship from 2015 until August 2020. While she survived that revelation at the time, she eventually resigned as premier and as an MP when she became the subject of an ICAC investigation herself.
Following her resignation, Ms. Berejiklian declined an opportunity to run for federal parliament and later took up a position as an Optus executive in the private sector. Former Labor senator Graham Richardson believes that she should resign from that role as well. However, Optus has expressed support for Ms. Berejiklian in light of the ICAC report.
In conclusion, Gladys Berejiklian’s once-prominent position as NSW premier has been marred by a shocking downfall marked by accusations of corruption. Despite her defiant stance, the ICAC findings have exposed her breach of public trust and involvement in questionable funding decisions. As she navigates this challenging time, the future remains uncertain for Ms. Berejiklian.
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