NSW crossbench MPs have vowed to reject all legislation while ever a “compromised” Gladys Berejiklian continues to lead the State.
Bombshell revelations this week revealed a secret personal relationship between the Premier and a disgraced former Liberal MP facing corruption allegations.
Ms Berejiklian’s intimate affair with former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire continued even after she forced his resignation from the Liberal Party over his “disappointing” property deals.
INTIMATE
Secret telephone conversations between the pair were played during ICAC hearings on Monday, with intimate details of Maguire’s lobbying efforts raised during the calls.
Berejiklian, 50, later denied she had done anything wrong and refused calls for her resignation. She ended her five-year affair with Maguire, 61, in August.
NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak, however, indicated his Party, like One Nation’s Mark Latham, was now unprepared to work with Ms Berejiklian.
Mr Borsak controls two NSW upper house seats.
“No-one’s going to convince me she didn’t have reasonable grounds to suspect that he was doing something dodgy,” Mr Borsak told Sky News anchor Andrew Bolt yesterday.
“I think she should have stood down because she potentially did commit an offence under the ICAC Act,” he said.
“On that basis, while ever she is premier we will not be supporting anything that she or her government brings to the house.”
The ICAC code of conduct requires members of parliament to declare any conflict of interest by an immediate family member, which it defines as people who are in an intimate personal relationship.
DODGY
“She had obligations and I cannot believe for one moment that she could not have understood and known what he was up to,” Mr Borsak said.
“Clearly in evidence, she knew what he was up to. He wasn’t known as dodgy Daryl within his electorate for no particular reason.”
According to ICAC evidence, on hearing of a property commission secured by Mr Maguire, Ms Berejiklian responded: “Congrats!!! Great News!! Woo hoo”.
Mr Borsak said: “I can’t see how she can be allowed to bring legislation to the house that will require our support when we can’t trust her”.
“She’s not providing the kind of leadership we think this State is entitled to,” he said.
“She should have been honest, she should have been open – instead of dodging and weaving.
“Instead, we saw the Left wing of the Liberal Party close ranks behind her and no one is prepared to have a go.
“[Right faction Liberal and Treasurer Dominic] Perrottet had to step up when the phone rang yesterday.”
The relationship between Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire is believed to have turned serious in 2015.
It is understood he was still married at the time, however, his relationship with his wife had broken down prior to his involvement with the then transport minister.PC
How on earth can anyone say Berejiklian is doing a good job is beyond me for e.g. the Ruby Princess debacle 27 dead and 1,000 infections that we know of and she gave an unreserved apology. Half price fines for crimes. Allowing transgender people to educate our children in schools. Giving the unelected Lucy Turnbull another 2 years in charge of the G.S.C. Should I go on because there is plenty more.
It is very disappointing and I believe it is a true reflection on her poor leadership qualities. The way she supported the extreme left’s barbaric abortion legislation was also a sign that she is not the person many people thought her to be. These revelations further confirm to me that she has poor judgement, is easily manipulated and lacks a moral compass.
While I really dislike Premier Berejiklian’s support for the ‘climate-change’ greenies within the State Liberal Party, I always knew that she was a Leader who gave 100% to her job and in all other aspects of this Leadership, she has come up trumps!
When comparing her Premiership to the hugely inept, union dominated, almost psychotic leadership of Andrews and the stubbornly heartless, socialist inspired, ‘eye on the prize’ leadership of Palaszczuk, she is an absolute gem. And – I would point out, that there have been many missteps by M.P.’s in both Victoria and Queensland over the last few years, all worthy of condemnation!
To be kept in mind: it is perfectly fine for an M.P. to have some business interests on the side as long as they are above-board, fully reported and don’t interfere with their main job as an M.P. I’m inclined to think Berejiklian trusted Maguire too much and she has stated that she thought most of his dealings were ‘pie in the sky’ wishful thinking! The balance of his bank account might bear this out!
I’m especially disappointed in Mark Latham’s unnecessarily hard stance on this whole business; his old labor leanings seem to be showing!
Perhaps you should leave ICAC to figure it out.
In the meantime let’s give her the benefit of the doubt.
It is beyond belief that she neither knew nor suspected anything. The fact that she said “she does not need to know” really says that she did know something was wrong. Gladys has shown that even a seemingly good politician is not always what they appear to be. She needs to go or be pushed.