Scandal that ended Gladys Berejiklian’s premiership and revealed secret relationship with Daryl Maguire
It was the eight-year scandal that took down a premier, and sparked two career-ending ICAC investigations. Here’s how it all unfolded.
A secret relationship, allegations of breaches in public trust and the resignation of a former premier in the middle of a pandemic, the downfall of Gladys Berejiklian from the state's top political posting has been a near three-year saga.
What started as startling revelations of Ms Berejiklian’s five-year “close personal relationship” with disgraced Liberal MP Daryl Maguire, turned into a corruption investigation with the then-premier at the centre.
Now, after multiple delays, the Independent Commission Against Corruption has finally released its findings, with the report making “serious corrupt findings” against Ms Berejiklian and her former boyfriend.
Here’s how it all played out.
March 2015 – Maguire and Berejiklian begin dating
It’s understood Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire’s relationship began around the time of the state election in March 2015.
At the time, Mr Maguire was a Liberal backbencher and the MP of Wagga Wagga, while Ms Berejiklian was the MP for Willoughby and the minister for transport, industrial relations and the Hunter. She would go on to be the NSW treasurer after the Coalition’s election win.
However, a transcript from a private hearing in 2020 quotes Mr Maguire as saying their relationship may have begun as early as 2013.
The partially unredacted transcript was mistakenly published for less than half an hour, leading to ICAC assistant commissioner Ruth McColl to issue an apology to Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire.
July 13, 2018 – Maguire’s political career unravels
The unravelling of Mr Maguire’s political career began after he was linked to another ICAC inquiry, Operation Dasha. During the investigation, allegations were made that Mr Maguire used his parliamentary position to secure lucrative property deals with developers, including Chinese company Country Garden. He has admitted to running a business – a cash for visa scheme – from his government office.
The claims would eventually be referred to a separate ICAC investigation – Operation Keppel – and the inquiry has recommended Mr Maguire be charged for giving false evidence during the investigation.
While initially defiant, Mr Maguire eventually stood down from the Liberal Party and resigned as the Wagga Wagga MP. Despite the Riverina seat being a Liberal safe seat, the party then lost it to independent Joe McGirr at the subsequent by-election, who has comfortably retained the electorate since.
Legally recorded communication from this time reveals Mr Maguire telling Ms Berejiklian to condemn him to party members amid the rising scandal.
“Get stuck into me. Kick the sh-- out of me. Good for party morale,” Mr Maguire wrote in a message to the premier.
September to October 2020 – Berejiklian testifies, reveals secret relationship
ICAC hearings into Operation Keppel begin.
Among the most damning incidents explored in the inquiry is Mr Maguire’s role in assisting racing heiress Louise Waterhouse, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, with the $330m sale of land near Badgerys Creek to Chinese developer, Country Garden in 2017.
While the deal failed, Mr Maguire stood to receive about $690,000 if it had succeeded.
While attempting to broker the deal, the investigation reveals Mr Maguire gave Ms Waterhouse the premier’s personal email, and even used her parliamentary office to secure a meeting with then-roads Minister to rezone the site.
In one tapped phone call, Mr Maguire discusses the Waterhouse sale with Ms Berejiklian where he says it could help alleviate his $1.5m debt. In response, Ms Berejiklian says: “I don’t need to know about that bit”.
The premier also made the bombshell revelation that she had been in a five-year relationship with Mr Maguire, which had only ended a few months prior.
Texts between the two presented to the commission also revealed he called her “hawkiss,” a term of endearment in Armenian – Ms Berejiklian’s first language.
Fronting media after she was grilled by Barrister Scott Robertson, Ms Berejiklian called the public revelations her “personal nightmare”.
“I am an extremely private person and without question, I stuffed up in my personal life,” she said.
“If I had done something wrong, I would be the first one to consider my position. But I haven’t.”
The admission also raised further issues around her role in Mr Maguire’s potentially corrupt dealings – something which the former premier has strenuously denied.
Despite Ms Berejiklian’s standing as premier, former deputy premier John Barilaro told the inquiry in 2021 the revelation of their relationship was a surprise to their parliamentary colleagues.
“I can assure you, no one guessed it. It was a shock to everybody,” he said.
Despite growing public scrutiny and furore from the opposition, Ms Berejiklian survived a vote of no-confidence in both the upper and lower house.
October 1, 2021 – Berejiklian resigns, denies any wrong doing
An hour after ICAC announced its investigation had been extended to include the premier, Ms Berejiklian resigned. At the time, NSW was still in the midst of a deadly Covid wave due to the Omicron variant.
During an emotional address made while stepping down as NSW Premier in October 2021, she said her exit “could not happen at a worse time” but that the timing was “out of her control”.
She categorically denied any wrongdoing and continues to do so.
“History will demonstrate that I have always executed my duties with the highest degree of integrity for the benefit of the people of NSW who I have had the privilege to serve,” she said.
Ms Berejiklian went on to secure an executive role with telecom Optus as its head of enterprise.
October 18, 2021 – Operation Keppel hearings continue
Shortly after Ms Berejiklian’s resignation, hearings in Operation Keppel continue. The 10-day hearing block focused on three things. Whether Ms Berejiklian breached public trust in helping Mr Maguire advance projects in Wagga Wagga, whether she failed to report Mr Maguire’s possible corrupt conduct, and if she directly engaged in conduct that allowed or encouraged Mr Maguire’s “occurrence of corrupt conduct”.
Of particular interest was Ms Berejiklian’s involvement in a $5.5m grant to the Australian Clay Target Association Incorporated, and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music.
During the hearings, more tapped phone conversations between her and Mr Maguire are revealed.
This includes one incident when she asked then-treasurer Dominic Perrottet to allocate $140m for the funding of a stage 3 hospital in Wagga Wagga in 2018.
Ms Berejiklian was also recorded saying she would hold off from sacking a public servant in 2017 because he was assisting Mr Maguire with a $30m grant for the Riverina Conservatorium of Music.
“Alright good tell him to fix it and then after he fixes it I’m sacking him,” she said.
In another recorded conversation that took place after Mr Maguire’s resignation from parliament, Ms Berejiklian assures him she’ll continue to fund local projects to secure the by-election.
“I’ll throw money at Wagga, don’t you worry about that,” she said.
Throughout the inquiry, however, she maintains she was not aware of any potentially corrupt conduct from Mr Maguire.
“He told me he’d done nothing wrong and I believed him,” she said.
“If I had done, I would have reported it.”
November 2022 – Maguire charged with criminal conspiracy
Separate to the investigation, Mr Maguire is charged with criminal conspiracy over allegations of visa and migrant fraud between January 2013 and August 2015, while he was in office.
Federal prosecutors allege Mr Maguire conspired with migration agent Maggie Sining Logan to help non-citizens fraudulently obtain visas.
Logan was charged with 12 counts of causing the delivery of documents with a false statement.
Both cases remain before the courts.
June 2023 – report tabled for Operation Keppel
After a lengthy protracted period, with two delays, the report for Operation Keppel is finally released.
The report makes “serious corrupt findings” against both Ms Berejiklian and her former lover.
To date, Ms Berejiklian has denied all wrongdoing.
Central to the probe was also the approval of a $5.5m grant to the Australian Clay Target Association (ACTA), and a $10m grant for the renovation of the Riverina Conservatorium of Music, which ICAC said was definitely influenced due to her “close personal relationship” with Mr Maguire.
The watchdog also said Ms Berejiklian failed to notify ICAC of her suspicion that Mr Maguire “had engaged in activities which concerned, or might have concerned, corrupt conduct”.
ICAC did not refer Ms Berejiklian’s actions to the DPP for potential prosecution, however the report said “consideration should be given to obtaining the advice of the DPP about the prosecution of Mr Maguire”.
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