Barry O’Farrell has resigned as NSW Premier after ICAC appearance
NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell has resigned after he was caught out misleading ICAC over a $3000 bottle of wine.
BARRY O’Farrell has resigned as NSW Premier following his appearance at the Independent Commission against Corruption yesterday.
Mr O’Farrell denied receiving a $3000 bottle of wine from Australian Water Holdings boss Nick Di Girolamo yesterday, but resigned today after it was revealed that he sent Mr Di Girolamo a card thanking him for the gift.
“I will be resigning the position and enabling a new Liberal leader to be elected, someone who will then become the Premier of New South Wales,” Mr O’Farrell said in a press conference today.
He insisted he did not “wilfully mislead” the watchdog yesterday, but said he accepted the consequences.
He described the missing bottle of wine as a “significant memory fail on my part”.
After being recalled to ICAC today to give further evidence, Mr O’Farrell confirmed that the handwriting on a thankyou note presented to the commission was his.
He said that he gave his best recollection to ICAC yesterday but was “clearly mistaken”. He said he had no idea what happened to the 1959 bottle of Grange.
Barry O’Farrell faces ICAC for second day
Seeing the note has also not sparked his memory about the wine. But Mr O’Farrell said dealings with Australian Water Holdings were done appropriately, and a contract signed with Sydney Water was completed at arm’s length from the government.
Referring to the wine in his speech this morning, Mr O’Farrell said: “I can’t explain the arrival of a gift that I have no recollection of, or its absence, which I still can’t fathom.
“I accept the consequences in an orderly way.”
During his testimony yesterday, he categorically denied ever receiving the wine.
“If I had received a bottle of 1959 Penfolds Grange I would have known about it and, and I did not receive a bottle of Penfolds Grange,” he told the hearing.
His resignation will be effective from next week, as soon as a committee of parliamentarians can meet to appoint a new leader.
Likely candidates for the top job include Treasurer Mike Baird, who has always been touted as a future premier and is the bookie’s favourite, and Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian.
A Facebook page “Gladys for Premier” has already been set up for Ms Berejiklian, whose electorate in Sydney’s north shore, is next to Mr O’Farrell’s. With 202 members it was leading the rival “Mike Baird for NSW Premier” page as of 4.30pm.
Opposition Leader John Robertson also held a press conference today after Mr O’Farrell’s ICAC appearance and said the issue was “not about a bottle of wine”.
“This is an insight into the way the Liberal Party operates in government in NSW,” Mr Robertson said.
He called on the next premier to work with him on implementing a new regime of ethical standards to clean up NSW politics, which he has already introduced within the Labor Party.
“Today’s events don’t begin and end with Barry O’Farrell because we still have an investigation with ICAC to be undertaken,” Mr Robertson said.
Mr O’Farrell’s resignation comes after his thankyou note was presented at the ICAC hearing this morning.
The note said: “Dear Nick and Jodie, We wanted to thank you for your kind note and the wonderful wine. 1959 was a good year, even if it is getting even further away! Thanks for all your support”. The note was signed by Mr O’Farrell on behalf of himself and his wife Rosemary.
The Premier was called as a witness yesterday to the inquiry, which is investigating whether Australian Water Holdings is linked to the Obeid family and whether they stood to make up to $60 million from a proposed public private partnership.
Last year ICAC found former NSW Labor minister Eddie Obeid and his son Moses Obeid were corrupt, after an investigation into the granting of mining licences in the Bylong Valley.
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At a separate press conference this morning to discuss Sydney’s proposed second airport, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Mr O’Farrell’s decision to resign was “utterly honourable”.
“I have enormous respect and admiration for Premier Barry O’Farrell,” Mr Abbott said. “I’ve known Barry for two decades, he’s been a friend of mine throughout that time.”
Mr Abbott said his Liberal colleague had “innocently and inadvertently” misled the commission.
“We are seeing an act of integrity and honour, the likes of which we have rarely seen in Australian politics,” Mr Abbott said of Mr O’Farrell’s decision to step down.
“I admire him for this, although I deeply regret the necessity for it.”
In response to further questions, Mr Abbott said premiers and senior politicians and those in public life met a lot of people and often received gifts that may not always be “front of memory”.
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Mr Abbott said he learnt that his friend would be stepping down as premier via a text message and had spoken to him briefly prior to his resignation.
The Prime Minister told Mr O’Farrell he believed his actions were done with the highest honour and expressed how sorry he was to see him go.
He repeated that Mr O’Farrell was a “man of honour and of integrity”, who had been a very capable premier who will be missed.
“I think it’s important to show and acknowledge this act of integrity that has caused him to act in this way,” he said. “It’s been a long time in public life that someone has acted in this way.”
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