“In all decisions I've ever made as a minister or as Premier of NSW, my first consideration has always been the wellbeing and welfare of the people of the state,” she said. Ms Berejiklian said on Friday she had “always acted with the highest level of integrity”. The investigation will be a continuation of an ongoing probe into Mr Maguire‘s conduct as an MP. The ICAC also said it would investigate whether she was “liable to allow or encourage the occurrence of corrupt conduct by Mr Maguire”. It would also investigate whether the Premier breached the public trust by allegedly failing to report conduct by Mr Maguire that may have been corrupt. ICAC said on Friday it would investigate whether Ms Berejiklian‘s relationship with Mr Maguire created a conflict of interest that resulted in her breaching the public’s trust by awarding grants to a clay target association and a music conservatorium in Wagga Wagga. Gladys Berejiklian has been Premier since 2017. The watchdog will investigate if she breached public trust in relation to her personal relationship with Mr Maguire. The ICAC said in its announcement it will begin holding new public hearings from October 18. Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has long been seen as a favourite to succeed Ms Berejiklian. The Liberal Party will have a meeting on Tuesday where MPs would have a vote on the matter. It wasn’t immediately clear who will take over as Premier. Ms Berejiklian will also resign from her role as MP for Willoughby, which will trigger a by-election. She earlier said she regretted “not to be able to finish the job to ensure the people of NSW can transition to living with Covid”. We will be shortly out of this lockdown and be able to get on with our lives,” she said. “So as I address you for the final time as your Premier, please stay the course and stay safe. Her voice then momentarily broke when she told people it would be the final time she would address them as Premier. “I hope you know you’ll remain foremost in my thoughts.” Gladys Berejiklian remained largely stoic while announcing her resignation. Her public admission in October 2020 that she secretly dated Mr Maguire – who is under investigation by the ICAC for allegedly misusing his position as MP to enrich himself – led to a firestorm of criticism from other MPs. The relationship between Ms Berejiklian and the former Wagga Wagga MP ended in August last year, the same month she was first drawn into the ICAC investigation, by way of giving private evidence to the commission. The shock announcement came almost exactly a year after she revealed in a live-streamed ICAC hearing that she’d been in a secret “close personal relationship” with Daryl Maguire for several years. Her decision to resign came after the Independent Commission Against Corruption confirmed in a bombshell statement it would investigate whether she’d breached the public’s trust in the course of her secret relationship with a former parliamentary colleague. Gladys Berejiklian told stunned reporters on Friday it went against “every instinct” in her being to resign, especially at such a critical time as the state begins to reopen.īut, she was ultimately left with “no option”.
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