Ex-NSW premier Berejiklian speaks after corrupt finding

The former Liberal leader, still revered by many in the party, made the comments in the wake of bombshell findings by the NSW corruption watchdog that she engaged in serious corrupt conduct between 2016 and 2018.

"At all times I have worked my hardest in the public interest," the 52-year-old said in a statement on Thursday.

"Nothing in this report demonstrates otherwise."

The Independent Commission Against Corruption report found the former premier breached the public trust by failing to disclose her personal relationship with Daryl Maguire when she was treasurer and later premier.

That included a cabinet committee that she sat on as it dealt with multi-million-dollar funding arrangments concerning projects enthusiastically pushed by Maguire in his Wagga Wagga electorate.

Operation Keppel began as a probe into Maguire but was expanded to the then-premier after she was compelled to reveal the relationship in public hearings in 2020.

Ms Berejiklian denied any wrongdoing, telling ICAC the romance, which began in 2015, had ended.

She resigned as premier in October 2021 when she officially became part of the investigation.

After examining phone taps and intercepted text messages, ICAC found both Ms Berejiklian and Maguire had engaged in serious corrupt conduct.

Ms Berejiklian breached the public trust in 2016 and 2017 in relation to funding promised to the Wagga Wagga-based Australian Clay Target Association.

"(She did so) without disclosing her close personal relationship with Mr Maguire, when she was in a position of a conflict of interest between her public duty and her private interest, which could objectively have the potential to influence the performance of her public duty," ICAC found.

Ms Berejiklian again engaged in serious corrupt conduct in relation to the Riverina Conservatorium of Music, another project advanced by Maguire, ICAC found.

She had taken part in a 2018 cabinet committee about the conservatorium and later determined to make a funding reservation of $20 million, without disclosing her "close personal relationship" with Maguire.

But ICAC will not refer Ms Berejiklian for potential prosecution, saying her conduct was not so serious as to merit criminal punishment.

Legal reasons also meant a nefarious motive was required.

Former Liberal treasurer Matt Kean slammed ICAC for making a finding of corrupt conduct and then effectively admitting it did not have enough evidence for charges to be laid.

"So it has taken ICAC two years to tell us that Gladys Berejiklian has not broken the law," he tweeted.

Labor Premier Chris Minns said the finding did not take away from Ms Berejiklian's handling of the coronavirus pandemic in NSW from 2020, which was "excellent".

"It is important, however, for all politicians in NSW and anyone in public life or positions of leadership to understand we must manage conflicts of interest and declare them," he said.

The report made 18 recommendations including amending the code of conduct for MPs on the limited circumstances in which it is acceptable to intermingle parliamentary duties with personal or private activities.

After quitting office, Ms Berejiklian turned down an opportunity to run for federal parliament before moving into the private sector as an Optus executive.

Through a spokesman, Ms Berejikian said serving the people of NSW was an honour and privilege.

"Thank you to members of the public for their incredible support," she said.

"This will sustain me always. The report is currently being examined by my legal team."

ICAC did refer Maguire for possible misconduct in public office charges, after numerous findings that he also engaged in serious misconduct between 2012 and 2018 and used his office to line his pockets.

Maguire, 64, is already facing criminal charges stemming from conduct exposed at an earlier ICAC inquiry, including for giving false and misleading evidence to that inquiry.

Australian Associated Press