Berejiklian for Warringah push is premature and reckless

Gladys Berejiklian made an important contribution during her time as NSW premier butthe Liberal Party’s flirtation with the idea of asking her to run for the federal seat of Warringah is misguided.

It seemed like a mere thought bubble – or wishful thinking – when reports first emerged that even though Ms Berejiklian was still the subject of an inquiry by the Independent Commission Against Corruption she might challenge sitting independent Zali Steggall in the northern beaches electorate.

It has only been two months since Ms Berejiklian chose to stand down as premier and resign from Parliament because the ICAC announced an inquiry into her knowledge of the business dealings of her secret boyfriend,former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.

The public hearings in October showed that Ms Berejiklian played some role in allocating $35 million worth of grants in the Wagga Wagga electorate for projects from which Mr Maguire allegedly stood to make money. The ICAC heard that colleagues,including thenpremier Mike Baird,were “incredulous” that Ms Berejiklian failed to disclose this potential conflict of interest. The inquiry also asked why Ms Berejiklian chose not to tell anyone,including the ICAC,about Mr Maguire’s private business interests,even though he appeared to have told her about them in secretly taped phone conversations played at the hearings.

Yet,before the ICAC has made its findings,senior Liberals from the Prime Minister down have warmed to the idea of rehabilitating Ms Berejiklian in politics because her popularity is still high according to the polls.

The “Berejiklian for Warringah” campaign has gone hand in hand with a federal government-led campaign to undermine the ICAC.

“Most people in NSW have discounted the ICAC,” Jason Falinski,the member for the adjacent seat of Mackellar,said on Monday. “Our focus is on the people of Australia,not side games about whether[the ICAC] has discredited itself – it did that years ago. The only people who seem to give the ICAC any credibility are the media who enjoy the front page stories.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison also backed Ms Berejiklian and joined the ICAC pile on. “What I found is that Gladys was put in a position of actually having to stand down and there was no findings of anything. Now,I don’t call that justice,” he said on Monday.

Mr Morrison is wrong in his description of what happened. It was Ms Berejiklian’s decision to stand down and leave Parliament. She rightly chose to do so because she was being investigated for actions that could amount to a breach of the ministerial code of conduct,a breach of public trust and encouraging Mr Maguire’s corrupt conduct. These are serious matters,even if it turns out they fall short of criminal conduct.

If Ms Berejiklian thought it was the right decision to quit state politics because of the ICAC investigation,how can she now be contemplating a federal tilt while the investigation is still ongoing?

It is also hypocritical to hear Liberals attack the ICAC’s credibility just because it is looking at their own party. Liberals could not praise the ICAC enough when it caught corrupt NSW ALP figures such as Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald. But now they say the ICAC is running a witch-hunt.

The Liberals’ attack on the ICAC seems to be an attempt to justify the Morrison government’s failure to introduce legislation for a federal integrity commission,as promised. But it could easily backfire if the Liberals are perceived to be avoiding scrutiny of any possible corrupt conduct.

The Coalition should be campaigning for greater integrity in politics rather than looking for excuses to protect politicians. They should also drop the reckless idea of enlisting Ms Berejiklian in the federal election,at least until the ICAC report has been released.

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Since the Herald was first published in 1831,the editorial team has believed it important to express a considered view on the issues of the day for readers,always putting the public interest first.

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