It was never plausible that NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian would emerge untainted from a years-long, clandestine, close personal relationship with the corrupt former MP Daryl Maguire. And, sure enough, she hasn’t. Her already-shaky position has become completely untenable, after revelations by the ABC’s 7.30 that a fund she controlled as treasurer in 2017, when she was in a relationship with Maguire, gave a whopping $5.5 million to the Australian Clay Target Association for its clubhouse and convention centre in Wagga Wagga – a grant that Maguire’s lobbying business G8-Way International pushed for, and sought to charge a commission for, according to evidence given to the state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption. Senior Liberal figure John Larter, the former president of the party’s Wagga Wagga branch, called on Berejiklian to stand down, saying that “trust is paramount when you’re the premier of the state … and to me that confidence is gone. It’s been eroded.” Further revelations are inevitable given ICAC’s inquiry is ongoing, and Berejiklian’s defence – that somehow she wasn’t paying attention when Maguire prattled on about his corrupt deals – never held water, and has now sunk completely. Berejiklian insisted she had done nothing wrong throughout her relationship with Maguire, but that is now beyond belief. The only question is when she will go, not if. 

Today’s revelations come after a series of shockingly bad judgement calls by the premier, from her decision to continue working at parliament while she waited for the result of a COVID-19 test (ignoring NSW Health guidelines), to her office’s direct involvement in the allocation of $140 million in local grants under the Stronger Communities Fund ahead of the 2019 election – which was only confirmed after documents she ordered to be shredded were recovered through a forensic investigation.

NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge, who is leading a parliamentary inquiry into the grants scheme, said the recovered documents prove that Berejiklian directly approved the expenditure. “We’ve had the premier all year ducking and weaving, trying to deny her role in approving these projects,” he said. “We now have it in black and white that the premier was approving project after project after project.” 

After that news, the premier tried to defend the indefensible, saying that such pork-barrelling was not illegal: “Governments in all positions make commitments to the community in order to curry favour. I think that’s part of the political process whether we like it or not. It’s not something that I know that the community is comfortable with and if [pork-barrelling] is the accusation made on this occasion … well then I’m happy to accept that commentary.” And the response of her government to the revelations coming out of ICAC? Cut the body’s funding – just as the Morrison government has cut the funding of the Australian National Audit Office in the wake of the uncannily similar “sports rorts” inquiry. 

Unfortunately, what may be the last straw in terms of public patience for Berejiklian comes as the laggard NSW is finally catching up on climate action, after nine years of Coalition rule, with Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean’s landmark legislation passing through parliament last week. As well, Attorney-General Mark Speakman has been flagging moves toward decriminalising possession of small quantities of illicit drugs – a breakthrough in a state that has allowed coppers to strip-search teenagers for kicks and giggles. Suddenly Berejiklian, furiously back-pedalling on decriminalisation today, faces an eruption on her right flank, with the cabinet-splitting 2GB presenter Ben Fordham declaring: “Police are filthy about this … I can tell you there’s a major blow-up brewing. If [Berejiklian] signs off on this policy that allows people to carry ice, she’ll be finished – it will be game over.”

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