NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell resigns over bottle of Penfolds grange

BARRY O’Farrell resigned as NSW Premier this morning.

BARRY O’Farrell resigned as NSW Premier this morning.

The shock announcement comes as the Independent Commission against Corruption (ICAC) revealed a handwritten note was sent from Mr O’Farrell to Australian Water Holdings Boss Nick Di Girolamo.

The note said, in part: “We wanted to thank you for your kind note and the wonderful wine,” and was signed by Mr O’Farrell.

This comes a day after Mr O’Farrell told the ICAC under oath that he could not recall having received a $3000 bottle of Penfolds Grange from the year of his birth, 1959.

The thank you note from Barry O'Farrell to Nick Di Girolamo

At a press conference held before ICAC resumed today, Mr O’Farrell announced that a thank you note for the bottle of grange would be tabled at ICAC.

Mr O’Farrell said he still “can’t explain the arrival of a gift I have no memory of ... But I accept the consequences.

A new Liberal leader will soon be elected.

“It is a significant memory fail. In no way did I seek to mislead, wilfully or otherwise ICAC,” Mr O’Farrell said.

Independent MP Alex Greenwich.

Coogee MP Bruce Notley-Smith down on Bronte beach.

Sydney Independent MP, Alex Greenwich has called for the incoming premier to “work to restore community confidence and improve transparency in government”.

“Whoever is the new premier needs to work on improving transparency in the way that lobbyists are involved with government,” Mr Greenwich said.

“I share the community’s concern in the fact that some people have better access to government officials than others.”

He said he would work with a new premier to “restore community confidence”.

Coogee Liberal MP Bruce Notley-Smith said he was “stunned” by the news.

Mr Notley-Smith was not informed of Mr O’Farrell’s decision before the announcement, he said.

“I literally found out ten minutes ago,” he told the Wentworth Courier.

“I was in a meeting. The meeting ended and I received a call from a friend — the rest we found out from the media coverage.”

He would not delve in to leadership speculation, simply saying he can “guarantee it won’t be me”.

Vaucluse state Liberal MP and Sport Minister Gabrielle Upton as far as she is concerned it is “business as usual”,

“I was elected by the people of Vaucluse to fight for their interests as their representative in State Parliament. That has not changed and I will continue to do so with passion.

“I was appointed Minister for Sport and Recreation to help encourage more people to participate in sport and recreation.”

She said that would be her focus.

Mr O’Farrell will appear before ICAC again today.