Gladys Berejiklian's brutal day of giving evidence at ICAC over her relationship with the disgraced Daryl Maguire

It was an excuciating day at ICAC for Gladys Berejiklian, who was forced to sit through a number of recorded phone conversations that she had with Daryl Maguire which revealed dramatic details about the relationship between the former premier and the disgraced politician.   

An explosive day of evidence at the corruption watchdog has revealed Gladys Berejiklian told Daryl Maguire she would command $140 million out of Dominic Perrottet “in five minutes” and would “sack” a public servant in ranting phone calls about Maguire’s pet projects.

But despite the big promises to her secret boyfriend, the fallen premier has insisted Maguire received no special treatment or access over any other MP.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating Maguire and Ms Berejiklian over their roles in seeking and approving two grants in Maguire’s electorate of Wagga Wagga.

The first is $5.5m to the Australian Clay Target Association - which the ICAC has previously heard later employed Maguire’s company for a minor commission.

Gladys Berejiklian arrives at ICAC ahead of an intense day of questioning. Picture: Tim Hunter.

READ EDITED TRANSCRIPTS FROM A BOMBSHELL DAY AT ICAC

The second grant was to the Riverina Conservatorium of Music which received $10m to relocate to government owned premises and was earmarked to receive another $20m for a world class recital hall.

The ICAC has heard both grants had issues with their business cases but there was “pressure” on bureaucrats to get them over the line because Ms Berejiklian had taken a close interest.

The ICAC is also investigating whether she turned a blind eye to Maguire’s alleged corruption in other business dealings.

Tapped phone calls between the lovers, played at the ICAC on Friday, revealed how Maguire lobbied his partner in long and ranting calls about issues in his electorate.

In May 2018, two months before Maguire was caught up in a corruption investigation, he called Ms Berejiklian and complained no money had been set aside for Wagga Hospital.

“I just spoke to Dom (Perrottet) and I said put the $140 (million) in the budget, he goes ‘no worries’ - he just does what I tell him,” Ms Berejiklian told Maguire.

Maguire said the hospital needed $170m and he feared what missing out on the massive funds would do to his re-election prospects.

The media converge on Gladys Berejiklian before her appearance at ICAC.

“All you do is yell at me sometimes, Hokiss,” Ms Berejiklian responded, calling Maguire by an Armenian pet name.

“I just fixed that one, I can’t fix everything...I’ve now got you $170m in five minutes…You can’t have me fixing all the problems all the time.”

Mr Perrottet, now Premier, said on Friday that he had “no comment” on the tapped phone call and won’t provide a “running commentary” on the ICAC investigation.

“My wife messaged me this morning and said ‘why do you do what Gladys asks you to do and not what I ask you to do?” he added in jest.

Premier Perrottet is, in no way, implicated in the ICAC investigation.

Gladys Berejiklian was grilled intensely all day about her relationship with Daryl Maguire.

The ICAC then played another intercepted phone call which captured Maguire and Ms Berejiklian discussing a bureaucrat who needed to “fix” a problem with the conservatorium grant.

“I can’t stand that guy, his head will be gone soon,” Ms Berejiklian told Maguire in November 2017.

“After he fixes it, I’m sacking him.”

Ms Berejiklian said that unnamed bureaucrat was still in the public sector, so she did not follow through on that comment.

Counsel Assisting the Commission Scott Robertson asked Ms Berejiklian, three times, whether Maguire had more access than other backbenchers.

“I would say all my colleagues had equal access in relation to matters regarding their electorate,” she said.

The ICAC has previously heard the couple were considering going public had Maguire retired - but Maguire needed money to do so.

The former premier’s responses became heated when Mr Robertson asked if she felt Maguire’s “money projects” would help the Coalition in Wagga so he could retire.

“That is absolutely not the case - I reject it outright and I find it offensive,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Gladys Berejiklian with Daryl Maguire during their time as MPs.

Maguire told the ICAC he was a “pain in the arse” lobbying ministers and officials to get his projects off the ground.

He told Ms Berejiklian, in one call, he wanted Wagga to become “blazing star of the southern universe”.

Once he gave evidence at the ICAC in July 2018 his political career was spent but his relationship with the Premier continued.

“You need and go and give them a stadium,” Maguire told her in the weeks after he was forced out of parliament.

“I’ll do that too. I’ll do that too, don’t worry,” Ms Berejiklian replied.

Ms Berejiklian assured him she’d “overrule” bureaucrats who stood in her way on the stadium project.

Multiple government officials have told the ICAC they did not know about Ms Berejiklian’s relationship with Maguire and they would have acted differently had it been divulged.

Some of those bureaucrats said they would have contacted supervisors expecting it to end up at the ICAC after Ms Berejiklian’s office had sought to give “unusual” attention to Maguire’s projects.

Ms Berejiklian will continue her evidence on Monday.

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Originally published as Gladys Berejiklian's brutal day of giving evidence at ICAC over her relationship with the disgraced Daryl Maguire

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