How to understand the story threatening Gladys Berejiklian’s career
If you’ve read the news this afternoon, you would have seen stories about a close personal relationship NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian had with disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire.
Text messages and phone recordings gathered by NSW’s Independent Commission Against Corruption show that Maguire, who left Parliament in 2018 amid accusations of corruption, repeatedly raised allegedly dodgy business deals with Berejiklian.
Understanding the story
What is Daryl Maguire accused of?
Why do Maguire’s actions threaten Gladys Berejiklian’s career?
What is Daryl Maguire accused of?
Maguire is embroiled in two different corruption investigations.
In 2018, he was accused of trying to connect Sydney property developers with a large Chinese firm - for a profit. Secret phone recordings show him trying to organise a personal cash “margin” in return for a “quick sale” of land.
Maguire has also been embroiled in new corruption claims, revealed at ICAC last month, that suggest he was trying to “grease the wheels” of a land sale involving horse racing icon Louise Waterhouse in return for at least $690,000.
Why do Maguire’s actions threaten Gladys Berejiklian’s career?
Maguire and Berejiklian have had a long-term close personal relationship.
Which makes this news tricky. There’s nothing wrong with two MPs having a consensual relationship. But if, through that relationship, Berejiklian helped Maguire achieve a corrupt end, or was aware of corruption but did nothing about it, it becomes important for the public to know.
So, did she do either?
What we know so far is that Maguire used Berejiklian’s office to secure a meeting for Waterhouse with the roads minister at the time.
We also know Maguire gave Waterhouse Berejiklian’s personal email address in an effort to help close the deal.
There are also text messages that show Berejiklian describing Maguire as her “numero uno”, and recordings of phone conversations that show Maguire repeatedly raising the Waterhouse deal with Berejiklian.
Berejiklian has denied helping Maguire with any allegedly corrupt dealings, and said the saga has made her suffer in her personal life.
“You cannot appreciate, for someone who’s very private, for someone who’s very by-the-book, for someone who put her trust in someone she thought she could trust - I’d known him for 15 years - I can’t tell you what it’s done to me personally. It’s been devastating, and I’ve had to bear this on top of everything else,” Berejiklian said on Monday.
“I want to be very open and let people know that I’m more than human, I made a big mistake in my personal life, I always kept my personal life separate from my public responsibility, and that my first and foremost priority is to the people of this great state.”
Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday.
“Disappointing that Gladys Berejiklian has played the victim card. This isn’t about a relationship it is about integrity and turning a blind eye to corruption… She’s basically telling all her MPs it’s ok to go out and continue to lobby for property developers. This is the standard she has set.”
NSW Opposition Leader Jodi McKay on Monday.