Poll: Women swing behind Gladys after secret relationship exposed at ICAC
Women have come out in support of Premier Gladys Berejiklian with an exclusive YouGov poll showing the majority believe the Liberal leader has done ‘nothing wrong’ following revelations of her secret relationship with disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire. SEE THE FULL POLL RESULTS,
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Women believe Premier Gladys Berejiklian has done “nothing wrong” in the wake of revelations of her secret relationship with disgraced former NSW MP Daryl Maguire.
And more women than men believe the Premier should stay on, despite the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) last week questioning Ms Berejiklian over how much she knew about her lover’s activities.
In a YouGov poll conducted exclusively for The Sunday Telegraph between October 16 and 17, more than 70 per cent of women said they approved of the job Ms Berejiklian was doing as the Premier of NSW.
Among men, 65 per cent also held that view, with 30 per cent indicating disapproval.
MORE NEWS
How ministers reacted to the Premier’s ICAC bombshell
Revealed: When NorthConnex will finally open
Barrister fights parking fine after saving distressed woman
Women were also more likely to support the view that Ms Berejiklian — who denied knowing about Mr Maguire’s actions — had done “nothing wrong”, with 54 per cent supporting that statement.
Men were more split on the issue, with 44 per cent declaring that they felt Ms Berejiklian had done nothing wrong and 43 per cent indicating that they felt she had done the wrong thing.
On the question of whether Ms Berejiklian should stay on as Premier, 65 per cent of women agreed.
The majority of men — 55 per cent — also felt she should stay on.
Across the age groups, the poll showed the Premier had the greatest support among older voters, especially among men and women aged 65 years or above, with 82 per cent declaring that they felt she was doing a good job.
The highest disapproval came from younger voters in the 18-34 year age group, with 45 per cent indicating they held the view that the Premier had done the wrong thing.
The Premier’s greatest supporters were from Sydney, with 70 per cent declaring they approved of the job Ms Berejiklian was doing compared with 23 per cent who disapproved.
Outside Sydney, 66 per cent approved and 28 per cent disapproved.
Overall, more voters were supportive of the Premier than not, despite the questions raised at ICAC.
While almost one-third felt she should resign, 60 per cent indicated they felt she should stay on.
Among conservative voters, 64 per cent said they would be more likely to vote for the Coalition if Ms Berejiklian was the Liberal leader. Among voters who supported other parties, 24 per cent of those with views closest to the Greens said they were also more likely to vote for Ms Berejiklian if she was leader.
WE ARE ALL HUMAN AND SHE’S AN HONEST POLLIE, SAYS HOWARD
Former prime minister John Howard says he hopes Premier Gladys Berejiklian stays on as Liberal leader “indefinitely”, declaring: “We are all human.”
Describing the Premier as a politician of “integrity”, Mr Howard said he felt the public appreciated her authenticity when details of her secret relationship with Daryl Maguire were made public and would remain on her side.
“I have a high opinion of her integrity of her character,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.
“I think she is authentic. I think her authenticity has come through. When news of the relationship broke, she was very genuine and that’s what won over the public. Her authenticity. We are all human.”
Mr Howard, who helped out in Ms Berejiklian’s state election victory last year, said the public was also appreciative of the Premier’s handling of one of the biggest health crises Australia has faced.
Despite the initial “difficulty” that emerged with the Ruby Princess fiasco, Ms Berejiklian had remained focused on informing the public on both the dangers of COVID-19 but also what could be done.
“The nature of politics is you get something wrong you get all the blame. But if you get something right, you’re entitled to get the credit,” Mr Howard said.
“Her public handling of the pandemic has been exactly what the public has wanted in a leader in a time of a major health challenge.
“They want somebody who tells them precisely what the dangers are and what can be done to minimised those dangers and my experience both in observing her and talking to people who observe her, she has got the balance near perfect.”
Mr Howard said Ms Berejiklian’s strength, unlike her Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk, was that she did not talk “nonsense”.
“If she opens her mouth, she is not talking nonsense,” he said.
“She’s not over political.
“I hope she continues indefinitely as leader of NSW.”