Berejiklian did declare one conflict of interest – a cousin who worked in the public service. But she didn’t declare Maguire,with whom she was in constant contact,who she wanted to marry and have children with,who had a key to her house and who pressured and manipulated her to put taxpayer money into his pet projects.
The ICAC commissioner found her excuses “strained credulity,were inconsistent,circular,and at times bordered on the irrational”.
Berejiklian’s first line of defence,and astonishingly,one that continues to be pushed,is that she simply chose a “bum”,in the words ofDutton on Friday.
That is undoubtedly true – the lengthy,two volume ICAC report shows Maguire to be the greatest of bums. The evidence shows he nags her,manipulates her,and seeks to impose his dominance over her.
Even when she helps him – “We ticked off your conservatorium the other day so that’s a done deal now”,she says in one exchange – he complains it’s not enough.
“That’s the building and ten million,not the rest of it. Not the next stage,” he whinges.
The reports of anti-corruption watchdogs are not usually awash with pathos. But the following exchange recorded between Berejiklian and Maguire filled me with boundless sadness:“Yeh but I am the boss,even when you’re the premier,” Maguire tells his girlfriend,NSW’s most powerful person.
“Yes,” Berejiklian responds,“I know.”
In a private examination during the operation of the ICAC inquiry,Berejiklian was asked about that exchange,and she admitted she was trying to “make him feel less insecure”.
“It’s actually making him feel that because I was the boss during the day,that I wouldn’t necessarily be exercising that relationship in the private relationship,” she said.
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This is a relatable portrait of a smart woman who knows she needs to minimise herself in her relationship,or risk losing her man. A woman who knows that her achievements overshadow her partner’s,and who is hyper-aware that his self-esteem is not robust enough to handle the disparity.
Counsel Assisting made submissions regarding “Ms Berejiklian’s concern about Mr Maguire’s insecurity and her preparedness to seek to placate him in order to preserve their personal relationship”.
Moreover,they said,“in circumstances where Mr Maguire became aggrieved and insecure over a perceived social slight,Ms Berejiklian was on notice of a risk that Mr Maguire would suffer greater levels of insecurity and disquiet in the event that Ms Berejiklian did not support projects for which he was a strident advocate”.
What is the correct feminist position here? Who among us has not dated a bum,albeit maybe not one who lobbied us to fund a road near an investment property he just snapped up?
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Many women will relate to the emotional labour Berejiklian was undertaking as premier – at work,she had to show no weakness,hold together a state in crisis,and to crush her political foes. At home,she had to pretend she wasn’t,actually,who she was – a powerful and successful woman.
It is notable that former prime minister Julia Gillard was never afforded the same sympathy when details of her own dodgy ex-boyfriend,a union official,became the focus of a major political scandal in 2012.
Gillard always denied any wrongdoing and there was no evidence of any. But nobody gave her a leave pass for making bad boyfriend decisions – something which probably has a lot to do with Berejiklian’s great popularity,and also the stench of misogyny which infused Gillard’s entire prime ministership.
Perhaps the most galling part of Berejiklian’s refusal to admit she has done anything wrong,was her late recognition of her status as a female role model,and “strong independent woman”,as she called herself. In 2020,when the shocking news of the relationship broke,she spoke directly to young women and girls:“Please know that it’s OK to be in public office,” she said,“but it’s also OK to accept that we are far from perfect,certainly I am far from perfect”.
But no one expected her to be – they just expected her to be honest. The idea that Berejiklian was some sort of baffled,guileless feminine victim of a bad man is off-key.
It pushes Berejiklian into the submissive role her dodgy boyfriend wanted for her – a woman who was not the boss of her own decisions.
Jacqueline Maley is a senior writer and columnist.
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