Icac did its job – Gladys Berejiklian’s own words betrayed her | Anthony Whealy
Uneducated criticism of the report ignores that its real value lies in improving the integrity of our political system
The result of the Operation Keppel investigation is one of the most important Independent Commission Against Corruption reports of the last 20 years. Its importance lies in two central aspects. First, it focuses primarily on the private and public behaviour of the most senior political figure in New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, who was a popular and well-regarded premier. Second, it focuses on a serious conflict of interest. This is a characteristic at the heart of proper public administration. Where the public interest is subsumed by private or partisan considerations, public integrity is diminished if not shattered.
The findings were entirely to be expected. Berejiklian’s defence that there was no conflict of interest, and no need for the disclosure of her relationship with a state MP, Daryl Maguire, was never convincing. Others, including a former premier and her colleagues, were astonished that she took this view. If they could see the conflict of interest, why couldn’t she? Yet she maintained this obtuse and obdurate stance throughout her testimony. It convinced no one.
Importantly, this was not merely a hypothetical issue. There were grave and serious ramifications when, as treasurer and later premier, she pushed and advanced multimillion-dollar grants in Maguire’s electorate. This was partiality and self-interest at the highest level. No attempt to dress it up as a public-spirited gesture could hide the obvious truth. It was, as conflicts of interest mostly are, at the heart of improper conduct. It was a serious breach of the ministerial code and thus fell within the definition of corrupt conduct.
Law (Australia) | The Guardian
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