The ICAC made a significant finding in its report that the then premier Gladys Berejiklian lied to her chief of staff,Sarah Cruickshank,about the nature and duration of her relationship with the then Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire.
Cruickshank gave evidence at the ICAC that Berejiklian called her on July 13,2018,after Maguire had given evidence at an earlier ICAC inquiry into Canterbury Council. He resigned from parliament days later on August 3.
Cruikshank said Berejiklian told her she had been in a “historical” relationship with Maguire that ended before she became premier in January 2017. In fact,the relationship had continued after this time.
The lie
“The Commission finds that on 13 July 2018,Ms Berejiklian told Ms Cruickshank that she had had a relationship with Mr Maguire before she was premier which amounted to them having a few dinners together from which Ms Cruickshank understood that the relationship was historic and not ongoing,” the ICAC said in its report.
“The Commission finds that in so doing,Ms Berejiklian lied to Ms Cruikshank about her relationship with Mr Maguire and its nature,length and intimacy.”
Berejiklian told the ICAC in 2021 that she did not recall telling Cruickshank in July 2018 that the relationship was historical only.
Berejiklian said Cruickshank warned her after the conversation “not to have anything further to do” with Maguire.
“I did not take that bit of advice,obviously,” Berejiklian said.
Cruickshank’s barrister,Hugh White,put it to Berejiklian at an ICAC hearing in 2021 that she was “not being honest” about what she told Cruickshank about the duration of the relationship.
Berejiklian replied that Cruickshank “is someone of enormous integrity” and “I appreciate that she had a different recollection”.
Duration of the relationship
Berejiklian and Maguire told the ICAC that their secret relationship started in 2015. The former premier said she did not cut off contact with Maguire until September 2020.
Berejiklian told the ICAC that she maintained contact with Maguire from July 2018 until September 2020 because she “felt that I should check on his welfare” after he was forced to quit politics following his evidence at an earlier ICAC inquiry. No corruption findings were made against Maguire in that investigation.
The ICAC said text messages between Berejiklian and Maguire suggested “that from at least about mid-2014,Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire were exchanging messages which suggest that the relationship was one of considerable intensity accompanied by mutual and deep feelings of love”.