Gladys Berejiklian resigns: Inside look at her final days as premier

Gladys Berejiklian’s most loyal ministers urged her to fight on just hours before her dramatic resignation.

Two weeks ago, Premier Gladys Berejiklian was asked by a minister: “Are you going to be OK?”

The minister was referring to one thing – the intensifying gossip swirling among MPs and media that she had become a person of interest in Operation Keppel, the ongoing investigation launched by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption into her disgraced ex-lover and Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.

While appearing to survive the first round of hearings, including the stunning revelation that she had been in a “close, personal relationship” with the ex-Wagga Wagga MP, her colleagues began to feel more unsettled when ICAC, instead of releasing draft submissions in December, extended its inquiry on March 2.

Gladys Berejiklian with her former boyfriend Daryl Maguire.

The move followed the Premier’s political rivals aggressively hunting for their own evidence of wrongdoing, with One Nation MLC Mark Latham leading the charge, demanding the five-year relationship between the Premier and Mr Maguire be investigated.

Using parliamentary privilege, Mr Latham alleged Mr Maguire used to let himself in to her Willoughby home with his own set of keys.

Should that be true, there would be serious ramifications given the NSW ministerial code of conduct requires her to disclose the pecuniary interests of all “family members” – the definition being any person with whom the minister is in an intimate (not just “close”) relationship.

ICAC intercepted Mr Latham’s request for the release of all government documents relating to the interests and representations of Mr Maguire, saying two of the documents “should not be made publicly available at this time” as they were “directly relevant” to its inquiry.

The documents allegedly contained departmental legal briefings to Ms Berejiklian informing her that two ministerial advisers had come forward to provide information after Mr Maguire quit in July 2018.

Should this be the case, they would show the Premier was made aware the government staffers were being referred to the corruption watchdog to make disclosures about potentially corrupt conduct.

Despite this, she did not reveal she was in a relationship with Mr Maguire, nor declare a conflict of interest or report her knowledge of his dealings to the ICAC.

Greens MLC David Shoebridge was also posing questions, which ultimately would become the centre of the ICAC investigation, about a $5.5 million government grant Mr Maguire obtained for the Australian Clay Target Association in his electorate with the assistance of Ms Berejiklian.

Gladys Berejiklian has led the state through the Covid pandemic. Picture: Joel Carrett/Getty

Gladys Berejiklian with her current partner Arthur Moses. Picture: Matrix

The grant was approved despite bureaucrats initially having rejected it on a cost-benefit basis.

While the Premier may not have known what ICAC were up to, she knew she could no longer count on Mr Maguire trying to protect her.

Not only had the relationship ended, but she was no longer responding to his calls or texts, including one he sent to her as she sat in Parliament while Treasurer Dominic Perrottet delivered his Budget speech.

A source close to Mr Maguire claimed he had been still “in love” with the Premier and hopeful of resuming their relationship until Ms Berejiklian’s sister Mary posted the Premier was in a relationship with her former ICAC lawyer Arthur Moses.

“He’ll be squealing like a pig now,” the source said.

As the media began using the daily Covid briefings to ask questions about whether she was now a “person of interest”, her colleagues began making their own inquiries.

At least two had been summonsed by the ICAC to answer what they knew about grant funding awarded or promised to the Australian Clay Target Association and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in Wagga Wagga, when Mr Maguire was the local member.

When confronted by one of her ministers, she did not answer the question.

Flowers left at the Northbridge house of former Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Picture: Julian Andrews

In the past two weeks, speculation she might quit – as a result of ICAC or for personal reasons – began growing. She was “distracted”. Had “checked out”.

Two senior ministers discussed how she had become “pushy” in the government’s Expenditure Review Committee in the past two weeks, insisting the group sign off on the investment for the Beaches Link. It had been her “pet project”.

But whether or not the Premier was preparing to step down at some time in the near future, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal she was not intending to quit on Friday.

On Thursday, a minister close to her described her mood as being good.

“She was happy and in high spirits,” the minister said.

But, that afternoon, everything would change.

Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean knew something serious was up when he saw his boss had called him three times.

The moderate powerbroker, who regards Ms Berejiklian as a personal friend, also saw that he had a text: “Matty, it’s urgent.”

The Premier had learned ICAC had contacted her office. The corruption watchdog would be making a statement the following day.

A visibly upset Gladys Berejiklian resigns on Friday, October 1. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jeremy Piper

At 1.15pm, she called her senior team together in her office as she contemplated what to do, while also consulting with her factional allies Mr Kean, Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello via phone.

A source close to the Premier said: “She planned to ride it out.”

At 5pm, her office called the NSW Liberal Party headquarters, informing them that she would have to pull out of a virtual town hall meeting with almost 1000 party members.

The event was to have taken place at 6pm.

She also contacted her crisis cabinet ministers, pushing back the meeting that had been scheduled for 11am on Friday to 4pm, while continuing to discuss the situation with Mr Dominello – her oldest and dearest friend – and corresponding with her political team until after 10pm.

At 6.30am on Friday, her team – and Mr Kean, Mr Hazzard and Mr Dominello – arrived back at work.

Over the next six hours, they went through the options again.

She could stand aside, but the investigation could take years.

She arrived at the decision to step down, believing a clean slate was the best option for the party. Tears were shed.

Ms Berejiklian notified her family and a speech was prepared. Just before her 1pm press conference, she called some of her colleagues, including Treasurer Dominic Perrottet – her likely successor – and Deputy Premier John Barilaro. By then, no one was surprised.

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