Gladys Berejiklian was a good premier who did good things. That cannot extinguish her wrongdoing.
The former premier’s dodgy boyfriend Daryl Maguire told her he was the boss. But let’s not patronise her like he did,and pretend that she was powerless.
The former premier’s legal team and the corruption agency traded harsh assessments as they argued about the things we do for love.
The normalisation of corrupt conduct - including pork-barrelling - is a cancer on our democracy. But there’s cause for optimism that the rorters are now on notice.
In terms of public representation of women,this sorry episode is a sad step backwards.
This is a moment in which we must decide whether all corruption is insidious,or whether wrongdoing is acceptable if it’s balanced by popularity or competency.
The ICAC’s finding against Gladys Berejiklian shifts the issue onto how politicians make decisions on the spending of public money and the legal obligation to report any suspicions of corruption.
Australia needs more female political leaders in Gladys Berejiklian’s league. It’d be a pity if her descent from grace dissuaded young women from a political career.
The NSW premier has refused to criticise Gladys Berejiklian’s conduct despite a scathing ICAC report which found she engaged in serious corruption.
Corruption is not just about money being handed over in brown paper bags,as juicy is that is.
“To reveal that she had been in a relationship for four or more years with someone publicly suspected of corrupt conduct ... would be anathema to her,and most probably be the death of her political career,” the ICAC concluded.