Gladys Berejiklian unsure on earlier tests

The NSW Premier has had three COVID-19 tests, leaving colleagues concerned she may not have adhered to guidelines.

Gladys Berejiklian has apologised for several breaches of safety protocols. Picture: Damian Shaw

Gladys Berejiklian was unable to say definitively whether she ­abided by self-isolation protocols after ­ a COVID-19 test she had earlier this year, as she issued an apology to NSW residents for breaching the same guidelines after a test that was administered last week.

The Australian has learned that the NSW Premier has undergone three COVID-19 tests since the start of the pandemic, with some colleagues concerned that she may not have adhered to health guidelines.

Ms Berejiklian’s office did not respond to questions from The Australian on Wednesday seeking to establish whether she had cancelled meetings or taken other steps to abide by the self-isolation guidelines after her two previous tests.

Other ministers, including Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, have confirmed that they had multiple­ tests — and, in the case of Mr Barilaro, that meetings were cancelled to adhere to the guidelines.

Ms Berejiklian privately told cabinet colleagues earlier this year that they could receive discree­t testing at a Sydney hospital where they would not have to wait in a lengthy queue and would receive fast-tracked results.

The Premier issued an apology on Wednesday for several breaches of the safety protocols and spoke of her deep regret at hosting senior members of the government in her office while awaiting her results.

Ms Berejiklian also participated in a parliamentary vote before receiving confirmation that she was negative for the virus, touching one MP on the arm on her way into the chamber and angering some colleagues who said she could have potentially “infected half the government”.

Asked during a press conference whether she had isolated during one of her previous tests for the virus, Ms Berejiklian hesit­ated, then said: “Yeah, I believe so, it was quite a long time ago. I ­remember it was quite a few months ago, but yeah.”

In providing her apology, the NSW Premier admitted that she should have “done things vastly differently”, pointing out that she had succumbed to complacency while, ironically, exercising great caution in taking the test in the first place.

In earlier interviews she had distanced herself from wrong­doing, stating that the transgressions were a matter of “interpretation” and that she had sought the test because she had lost her voice, which is not a symptom of the virus.

“I deeply regret that I didn’t do what I should have done,” Ms ­Berejiklian said. “Every time you decide to take a test you must self-isolate, I accept that.

Her apology jarred with remarks­ made by Jobs Minister Stuart Ayres on Monday night, when he insisted numerous times that Ms Berejiklian had no need to self-isolate because the test had been conducted as a “precaution”.

NSW Health guidelines do not contain any reference to “precautionary tests”.

Chief Health Offic­er Kerry Chant declined to comment on the Premier’s transgression when queried about it on Wednesday.

Dr Chant said the Health ­Department generally did not encourage testing of asymptomatic persons.

According to Ms Berejiklian, the test was administered in her office about 4pm last Tuesday and a result was returned about two hours later.

After eventually conceding that she had violated the Health Department protocols, Ms Berejiklian concealed the fact that she had left her office to take part in a Legislative Assembly vote.

One Coalition MP said they believed the arrangements provided to cabinet ministers for discreet testing were a reasonable measure for some office holders.

But for other members of cab­in­et, the arrangement could be construed as an abuse of process.

“We’re telling everyone to go home and isolate — why should some people be given one-hour tests? I’m more forgiving of Gladys than some irrelevant minister who would have abused the system for their own gain,” they said.