NSW Premier’s department pushed for private Gladys Berejiklian ICAC hearing

The Premier’s department pushed to block ICAC’s probe into Gladys Berejiklian being heard publicly, including evidence given by Mike Baird.

Premier Dominic Perrottet’s department pushed to block crucial evidence in a corruption probe into predecessor Gladys Berejiklian from being heard in public.

The Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) wanted any evidence about cabinet documents and deliberations to be heard in a private Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing.

The request was revealed in a ruling from Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl about how secret cabinet documents would be dealt with in the public ICAC inquiry.

Former premier Mike Baird appearing before the Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry into the woman who took over his job, Gladys Berejiklian.

When documents were produced by DPC to the ICAC, bureaucrats raised concerns that certain information would need to be kept private because they contained sensitive cabinet information.

In a submission on the issue ahead of this week’s explosive public hearings, DPC argued “any evidence about documents which relate to the contents of cabinet documents or of cabinet deliberations should be heard in private”.

The department wanted to review the transcript of any private evidence to make submissions on what material — if any — should be made public.

The submission to hear evidence about cabinet documents in secret would have prevented crucial information from being made public.

Such documents that would have been kept private include a briefing from former premier Mike Baird’s director of strategy Nigel Blunden, in which the adviser described a $5.5m grant proposal as going “against all of the principles of sound economic management”.

Evidence from Mr Baird, in which the former Premier told the ICAC Ms Berejiklian “supported” the grant proposal during a meeting of cabinet’s expenditure review committee, would also have only been heard in private.

DPC also argued the ICAC should “explore with Ms Berejiklian (or with any other relevant person) whether it may be possible to agree certain facts, or provide evidence in another form, so as to minimise or avoid the need to disclose cabinet documents, or evidence of cabinet deliberations”.

Gladys Berejiklian resigned after ICAC announced its investigation. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jeremy Piper

Assistant Commissioner McColl said hearing evidence about specific cabinet documents and deliberations in secret rather than in a public hearing “would prevent the commission from discharging one of its principal objects”.

Greens MP David Shoebridge said: “It is extraordinary, but hardly surprising, that the NSW Government tried to shut down this week’s public hearing in ICAC.

“The question is: who in the government authorised the Premier’s Department to try and keep these cabinet documents, and all the evidence we have now heard about them, secret?”

In her ruling, Assistant Commissioner McColl determined that cabinet documents — and other related documents — about the Australian Clay Target Association and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music could be tendered.

She said any material in them concerning decisions not connected with either organisation would be redacted.