Gladys Berejiklian to learn her fate over MP relationship

It’s been 2.5 years since she made the revelation she had a ‘close, personal relationship’ with disgraced MP Daryl Maguire.

Former Premier Gladys Berejiklian will learn her fate over whether a secret relationship with a disgraced MP breached the public trust. Picture: Toby Zerna

Gladys Berejiklian is likely to stay at telecommunications company Optus regardless of whether she is found by the NSW anti-corruption watchdog to have breached public trust or engaged in dishonest behaviour, sources close to the former premier say.

Findings for Operation Keppel will be released by the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Thursday more than two years after Ms Berejiklian admitted to having a “close personal relationship” with disgraced former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire and some 20 months after she resigned as premier of NSW.

The NSW government on Wednesday announced it would introduce new rules forcing ICAC to set and publish deadlines for investigations, following widespread criticism over the lengthy delay in the release of findings against Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire.

Optus appointed Ms Berejiklian to its executive team in February 2022 and sources with knowledge of the situation said she intended to stay at the telco.

Her spokesperson declined to confirm this when approached by The Australian and Ms Berejiklian is planning to appeal against any possible adverse findings made against her by ICAC, The Australian has previously reported.

Mr Maguire – who was an MP between 1999 and 2018 – became the focus of Operation Keppel, which was launched in late 2020, admitting in public hearings he had used his parliamentary position for his own financial benefit and accepted cash deliveries to his parliamentary office relating to a visa scheme for Chinese ­nationals.

In October 2020, Ms Berejiklian become a subject of the ­inquiry when she took the stand and revealed she’d had a “close, personal relationship” with Mr Maguire since at least 2015.

The watchdog played intercepted phone calls between the pair, including one from September 2017 where Mr Maguire talked about a potential land deal at Badgerys Creek, near Sydney’s new airport.

If the deal went through, he could pay off about half of his $1.5m personal debt, he said.

“I don’t need to know that bit,” she replied.

“No, you do not need to know that,” Mr Maguire responded.

At that inquiry in 2021, Mr Maguire had already ­resigned following a separate ­Independent Commission Against Corruption probe – ­Operation Dasha – that found several Canterbury councillors engaged in serious corrupt conduct by misusing their power over planning proposals. Ms Berejiklian had pushed for his resignation.

Soon after that evidence, Ms Berejiklian – who gained widespread popularity through the Covid-19 pandemic – stepped down as premier.

The reaction to her resignation was mixed.

Allegations against her include that she failed to report Mr Maguire’s allegedly corrupt behaviour to authorities, that she encouraged his behaviour by not challenging it, and that she had a conflict of ­interest when dealing with local funding requests by the former MP.

One of the allegations against Ms Berejiklian involved the Operation Dasha probe into the former Canterbury council.

In 2018, briefing notes were prepared by a top official in the Department of Premier and Cabinet to let Ms Berejiklian know two different NSW government staffers had contacted ICAC with details about their investigation into the council.

When Ms Berejiklian announced her resignation, with puffy eyes, she said: “I state ­categorically I have always acted with the highest level of ­integrity.”

She has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and continues to do so.