The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is currently carrying out its investigation into former NSW Premier and treasurer Gladys Berejiklian, and probing her secret relationship with former member for Wagga Wagga, Daryl Maguire. The tea is being spilt, the confessions are coming out and Berejiklian’s choice of words sure are… interesting.
Today, Berejiklian sat down to give evidence on what is her first day out of two, in which she’ll be sitting before the people of ICAC and fessing up.
She was questioned by ICAC Counsel Assisting Scott Robertson, who asked her a series of questions about the nature of her relationship with Maguire.
One of the first questions was about a text sent from Berejiklian to Maguire that read ‘But you are my family.’
“Did you or did you not regard Mr Maguire as part of your family as of the 12th of April 2018?” asked Robertson.
“I didn’t regard him as a member of my family in the same way that I regard my parents or my sisters, I regarded him as part of my love circle, part of people that I strongly care for, but I wouldn’t put him in the same category as my parents or sisters,” responded Berejiklian.
Did y’all catch that? Love circle? Why is Berejiklian suddenly the star of a Steel Panthers song? What on Earth is going on here?
I’ve heard of a swing seat, but I didn’t think it belonged to actual swingers.
The former premier says Maguire was part of her “love circle” but not part of her family as of April 2018. She also said she didn’t always feel it was reciprocated. @GladysB #ICAC
— Kate McClymont (@Kate_McClymont) October 28, 2021
Triangles are more exclusive 🥰
— really just apes 🍌 🙊 ❤ (@morethanoneside) October 28, 2021
As the investigation went on, the topic soon shifted to Gladys Berejiklian’s 2018 monetary support of a Wagga Wagga hospital, where $170 million was provided by the NSW Government.
ICAC played a telephone intercept of a conversation between Berejiklian and Maguire, which revealed some spicy info.
“I’ve already got you the Wagga hospital … I just spoke to Dom [Dominic Perrottet] and I said, ‘Just put the $140 in the budget.’ He goes, ‘No worries.’ He does what I ask him to,” said Berejiklian on the telephone play.
“It is supposed to be 170,” said Maguire.
“Whatever it is … he is putting it in whatever it is, OK?” said Berejiklian.
“We will fucking lose Wagga,” says Maguire.
“All you do is shout at me sometimes,” says Berejiklian.
So yeah, quite an interesting look at the nature of their relationship. Also fkn dying at the fact that Dom Perrottet sounds like a loyal minion to Berejiklian. Wild.
It’s getting worse by the minute. “I just got you the $170 million in five minutes,” says then-premier @GladysB
in a call to her secret boyfriend in May 2018. She then suggests that Maguire start bugging Health Minister Brad Hazzard to get extras for the hospital. #ICAC— Kate McClymont (@Kate_McClymont) October 29, 2021
Normal relationships: “I got you flowers!”
Political relationship: “I got you the Wagga hospital!”#ICAC
— Neil McMahon (@NeilMcMahon) October 28, 2021
Yep – Tumut Hospital $50 million.#ICAC just heard Daryl Maguire blasted Health Minister Brad Hazzard about no funding being allocated.
In a phone tap just played between Daryl and Gladys Berejiklian, she said “I’ll deal with it, i’ll fix it”.
Here Hazzard announces the cash. https://t.co/sJnR1lHMPJ— Sarah Navin (@SarahNavin) October 28, 2021
In case you missed it (which would be pretty hard to considering Berejiklian’s resignation), this is everything that’s getting investigated.
ICAC will be formally investigating whether Berejiklian did the following between 2012 and 2018:
- Was in a “position of conflict” due to her relationship with Daryl Maguire.
- Exercised the powers of her position to provide funding to the Australian Clay Target Association Inc in Wagga Wagga (a project backed by Maguire which had $5.5M set aside for it) or the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in Wagga Wagga (which Berejiklian denies she approved of $30M funding despite there being an approval letter.)
- “Breached public trust” by not reporting any matter that she suspected was corrupt conduct at the hands of Maguire.
