Gladys Berejiklian refuses to answer questions as she leaves home to attend corruption commission over secret relationship
The commission that exposed Gladys Berejiklian’s secret love life at the height of her popularity will issue its report on the former NSW prime minister’s relationship with an ex-MP.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will present its long-awaited report in NSW Parliament on Thursday morning, more than 600 days after the end of public hearings.
The report is expected to be published online a few minutes later.
ICAC had investigated whether Ms Berejiklian had betrayed public trust by not disclosing her long-standing personal relationship with then MP Daryl Maguire as Treasurer and Prime Minister.
The commission’s inquiry began as an investigation into possible corrupt behavior by Mr Maguire but expanded to include Ms Berejiklian after she was forced to reveal the relationship during public hearings in 2020.
She denied wrongdoing and kept her position, but stepped down when ICAC began investigating her conduct in late 2021.
Even after the relationship came to light, Ms. Berejiklian maintained widespread public support, with a net approval rating of over 35 percent.
After leaving office in October 2021, she turned down a chance to run for federal parliament and moved to the private sector as an Optus executive.
The Minns government on Wednesday supported a parliamentary committee’s call for ICAC to develop its own time standards and measure its performance against them.
“(The amendments) will increase the transparency and public accountability of ICAC’s reporting functions without imposing rigid restrictions on ICAC,” the government said.
Delays in the publication of the ICAC report to Ms Berejiklian and Ms Maguire have been criticized.
The committee has said delays were caused by complex legal issues and overflowing submissions.