Gladys Berejiklian’s political career, personal life and ICAC inquiry
She was one of the state’s most popular politicians during her four years as NSW premier but Gladys Berejiklian’s career unravelled when her secret relationship was revealed in an ICAC inquiry. We take a look at her career and personal highlights.
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Gladys Berejiklian led NSW through the worldwide pandemic where her daily press conferences kept residents updated about the spread of the Covid — and helped cement her as one of the state’s most popular premiers.
She became more of a household name and residents turned to her for guidance as they tuned in for the 11am Covid updates.
But all that came to an end after her secret relationship with former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire was revealed, unravelling her career and later forcing her to resign as premier after becoming the subject of an ICAC investigation.
On June 29, ICAC handed down its findings, stating Ms Berejiklian and her former lover engaged in serious corrupt conduct but did not recommend Ms Berejiklian be charged.
Here’s a look at Ms Berejiklian’s background, career and controversies.
Personal history
Gladys Berejiklian was born on September 22, 1970 to her Armenian migrant parents Krikor and Arsha.
She was the eldest of the couple’s three daughters and along with her sisters Mary and Rita, was brought up in North Ryde where the family spoke Armenian and English.
The couple migrated separately to Australia in the late 1960s – Krikor from Syria and Arsha from Jerusalem. They met and married in Australia within six weeks.
Before their retirement, Krikor worked as a boilermaker and welder, while Arsha was a nurse.
Ms Berejiklian attended North Ryde Public School and then Peter Board High School in North Ryde, where she was school captain.
After a school excursion to Canberra aged 16, she decided she wanted to go into politics, rather than study to be a doctor or a lawyer as her parents suggested.
Her father died aged 90 in July 2022 where Ms Berejiklian — known as ‘Glad’ by family and close friends — gave a moving eulogy.
“Our father was a humble man. He was a true gentleman, a real character and a friend to all he came into contact with,” the popular former premier said at his funeral.
“His smiling face always brought great joy.”
Career
Ms Berejiklian was elected as the Member for Willoughby in 2003 and throughout her political career had a number of roles before she became the 45th Premier of NSW in 2017.
She got her Master of Commerce at the University of NSW (2001); has a Graduate Diploma of International Studies from the University of Sydney (1996); and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney (1992).
She joined the Liberal Party in 1991 and was president of the NSW Young Liberals from 1996-1997.
Just before she was premier she was the state’s treasurer and prior to that had the Hunter, transport and industrial relations portfolios.
Ms Berejiklian told The Sunday Telegraph in 2020 she has always put her career first “rightly or wrongly”.
“I have been (married to the job) and I don’t mind that, it’s the truth. As corny as it is, it’s not really the job … it’s the public service. Serving the public is what I love to do,” she said at the time.
In another interview, her father also said she was “married to politics”.
After her relationship to Daryl Maguire was made public and it was revealed she was being investigated by ICAC, Ms Berejiklian quit as premier of NSW on October 1, 2021 and left politics altogether.
In February 2022, she revealed she had joined Optus as the managing director of the enterprise, business and institutional division.
Talking to The Australian in July 2022 about the transition from politics to the private sector, Ms Berejiklian said: “It’s chalk and cheese; you can’t compare. Obviously my previous role was 24/7.”
The former premier’s career highlights include becoming the first woman popularly elected as premier of NSW where she campaigned on infrastructure including new metro lines, as well as new and upgraded schools and hospitals.
During her time as Transport Minister from 2011-2015, she delivered the north-west and south-west rail links and rolled out the Opal card.
But she will be known best for steering NSW through the Covid pandemic health crisis and lockdowns.
Controversies
Ms Berejiklian had a long and dedicated career in politics — with usual political stoushes including the koala protection policy and the proposed relocation of the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta.
But her career was overshadowed by the ICAC investigation, where questions were asked about why she kept her relationship with Maguire a secret.
During the 2021 inquiry, where Ms Berejiklian gave evidence for two days, phone conversations between her and Maguire were played publicly and she was questioned extensively about whether she turned a blind eye to Maguire’s business dealings and whether she had any suspicions about his conduct.
Ms Berejiklian denies any wrongdoing.
After she resigned, Ms Berejiklian’s former staffer Matt Cross told The Daily Telegraph: “Gladys’ work ethic and attention to detail is legendary. We saw that every day as Premier. History will not judge Gladys on an ICAC investigation.”
Love life
Ms Berejiklian has always been a private woman and until her secret romance with Daryl Maguire was made public through the ICAC investigation, she never spoke about her personal life.
She has never married and has no children.
She started dating Maguire in 2015 but by 2018 their relationship was over when she sacked him over the corruption allegations. But they still remained in contact after that before she cut off all lines of communication by 2020.
In October 2020, The Sunday Telegraph spoke to Ms Berejiklian in an exclusive interview where it was revealed her family were not aware of her years-long relationship with Maguire — and she also revealed in the past her parents often tried to “match-make” on her behalf.
Of her relationship with Maguire, Ms Berejiklian said it was “hard to define because it wasn’t of a sufficient status” but did admit she loved him.
“I did. That’s all I’ll say. I’m embarrassed now, but I did,” she told The Sunday Telegraph’s Annette Sharp.
In that same interview she said: “Being a single woman with a high public profile, you’re not going to have a conventional relationship are you? I was very young when I got into parliament, it was never going to be easy … (and) this was never going to be a conventional relationship because of my job.”
After the 2021 ICAC inquiry, it was revealed she was dating high-profile barrister Arthur Moses SC from June 2021, who represented her in the 2020 ICAC hearing into her ex-partner Maguire.
In June 2023, it was revealed Ms Berejiklian rented out her Northbridge home, heightening speculation she has moved in with her partner, Mr Moses, The Sunday Telegraph’s real estate columnist Jonathan Chancellor revealed.
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