Gladys Berejiklian refuses to comment on Daryl Maguire key claim
Gladys Berejiklian has refused to comment further on allegations from Labor and One Nation that disgraced MP Daryl Maguire had a key to her home, while also defending record-keeping practices in her office.
NSW
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Premier Gladys Berejiklian has brushed aside questions about claims former MP Daryl Maguire had a key and access to her home for several years while the pair were in a secret “close personal relationship”.
The allegations were first made by One Nation leader Mark Latham in parliament last week and repeated by Labor leader Jodi McKay.
In her first comments on the matter since suggesting the claim was “factually incorrect”, Ms Berejiklian declined to say what part of the statement was untrue.
“I’m not going to comment any further, I’ve made my point,” she said.
In parliament last week, Ms McKay asked three questions referring to Mr Latham’s claim that “Daryl Maguire had a key and ongoing access to her home for several years, including as recently as last month”.
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“The Leader of the Opposition has chosen to ask the same question three times. The Leader of the Opposition has chosen to repeat things that are factually incorrect,” the Premier responded.
Pressed on the matter yesterday, Ms Berejiklian said: “I ask you to refer to my previous comments.”
The government has demanded Mr Latham and Ms McKay explain the source of the claim. Last week, senior minister Andrew Constance accused the pair of using parliamentary privilege to “smear” the Premier.
Ms Berejiklian has said she was in a “close personal relationship” with Mr Maguire, but has explicitly stated she was not in an “intimate personal relationship” with the former MP — an important stipulation as that status could have triggered extra disclosure requirements under the Ministerial Code of Conduct.
GLADYS DENIES WRONGLY SHREDDING RECORDS
The shredding of documents by Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s staff, relating to how $250 million in government grants was spent, was not against the law, the Premier said.
While defending her staff, Ms Berejiklian declined to say whether shredding records is common practice in her office.
The Premier also brushed aside questions about why she didn’t declare a conflict of interest when she awarded $40,000 to projects in Daryl Maguire’s Wagga Wagga electorate when she was in a secret relationship with the then-MP.
It came as state Labor asked the police to investigate whether a policy adviser breached the State Records Act by shredding so-called “working advice notes” which contained details of recommended grant recipients.
A policy adviser in the Premier’s office told a parliamentary inquiry last week that she shredded the documents after sending an email indicating the Premier had approved money for certain projects under the Stronger Communities Fund. Asked on Wednesday whether shredding the information could be in breach of state laws requiring important documents be kept, Ms Berejiklian said: “My office has followed procedure and I expect that to occur all the time.”
Ms Berejiklian said she was not aware that the records had been shredded. She also said it was not her “position” to be aware of how documents are managed.
Ms Berejiklian’s former chief-of-staff last week told a parliamentary inquiry that shredding documents was not routine practice, but said staff were aware of record-keeping requirements.
Asked whether shredding was common in her office, Ms Berejiklian said: “My expectation is that the highest standards be held up at all times and I expect full compliance.”
Originally published as Gladys Berejiklian refuses to comment on Daryl Maguire key claim