'She can't survive': All the reaction to Gladys Berejiklian's bombshell admission she was in a secret relationship with disgraced ex-Liberal MP
Politicians, radio hosts and political commentators predict Gladys Berejiklian won't survive as New South Wales Premier after her bombshell admission she was in a secret relationship with a disgraced former Liberal MP.
Ms Berejiklian had a 'close personal relationship' with ex Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire, and the pair continued to communicate until less than a month ago, a state anti-corruption inquiry has heard.
The premier also admitted Mr Maguire had told her about some of his business interests while appearing by audio-visual link before the Independent Commission Against Corruption which is investigating Mr Maguire.
She said she presumed Mr Maguire had appropriately disclosed those business interests.
Ms Berejiklian also revealed she had a 'personal attachment' to Mr Maguire and their relationship, which began in 2015, had been kept under wraps as she was a 'very private person'.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has admitted she shared a private relationship with disgraced former colleague Daryl Maguire while he was in office
Ms Berejiklian had a 'close personal relationship' with ex Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire , and the pair continued to communicate until less than a month ago
They last spoke on September 13 - less than a month ago - and Ms Berejiklian ceased communication only after agreeing to attend the ICAC inquiry.
2GB radio host Ray Hadley weighed in on the premier's future in parliament: 'I don't think, for a whole range of reasons, that Gladys Berejkilian can survive this.
'Given this relationship predated his divorce and separation, and given that she's now admitted had he retired from politics in 2017 she would have made public the relationship.
Reaction to Berejiklian bombshell
Radio host Ray Hadley: 'I don't think, for a whole range of reasons, that Gladys Berejkilian can survive this.'
'Given this relationship predated his divorce and separation, and given that she's now admitted had he retired from politics in 2017 she would have made public the relationship.'
Greens MP David Shoebridge: 'It's hard to see how the Premier can survive a day in Parliament this week given the bombshells being dropped in ICAC about her relationship with the... Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.'
Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell: 'When they call a premier you know they've got something. I actually think I that there's a good chance Gladys Berejiklian will have to resign over this.'
Sky News commentator Rita Panahi: 'Gladys who has done more than any politician to save Australia from itself by reopening the economy & opposing illogical lockdowns/border closures may be in real trouble.
'It would be peak 2020 if she lost her job before Dan Andrews.'
Greens MP David Shoebridge offered a similar assessment: 'It's hard to see how the Premier can survive a day in Parliament this week given the bombshells being dropped in ICAC about her relationship with the... Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.'
Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell predicted Ms Berejiklian would quit her $407,000-per-year role.
'When they call a premier you know they've got something. I actually think I that there's a good chance Gladys Berejiklian will have to resign over this,' he said.
Mr Clennell's colleague and Sky News commentator Rita Panahi came to the premier's defence.
'Gladys who has done more than any politician to save Australia from itself by reopening the economy and opposing illogical lockdowns/border closures may be in real trouble,' she said.
'It would be peak 2020 if she lost her job before Dan Andrews.'
Ms Berejiklian admitted that over the course of their relationship, Mr Maguire frequently spoke of his finances and was 'obsessed' by them.
Mr Maguire accused of using his public office and parliamentary resources to improperly gain a benefit for himself or for G8way International, a company Mr Maguire allegedly 'effectively controlled'.
He was forced to quit Ms Berejiklian's government in 2018 after a separate ICAC inquiry heard evidence he sought payments to help broker deals for property developers.
But she denied distancing herself from specific details on Mr Maguire's affairs in an attempt at self-preservation.
'I would never, ever, ever turn a blind eye from any responsibility that I had to disclose any wrongdoing that I saw, or any activity that I thought was not in keeping with what a member of parliament should be doing,' Ms Berejiklian told the inquiry.
The premier also admitted Mr Maguire had told her about some of his business interests while appearing by audio-visual link before the Independent Commission Against Corruption
After being summonsed last week Ms Berejiklian said she would be 'pleased to be assisting with those inquiries'
'I would suggest that I was either not interested or I thought what he was raising with me was fanciful. He was a big talker.
'A lot of the time, I would have ignored a lot of what he said as fanciful and information that I didn't care to be involved in or interested in.'
The premier also said she didn't take a personal interest in Mr Maguire's finances, despite their relationship, as she was an 'independent woman' with her own finances.
Ms Berejiklian was dragged into the saga last week when the ICAC heard Mr Maguire gave a western Sydney landowner - Louise Waterhouse - Ms Berejiklian's email address to help her lobby for rezoning changes that would benefit a parcel of land she held.
ICAC heard Mr Maguire passed on the email address and suggested the premier would be able to provide a 'tickle from up top', but Ms Waterhouse said Ms Berejiklian never responded.
The inquiry continues before assistant commissioner Ruth McColl SC.