His language may be mangled but its essential truth isn’t. As Labor MP Kerry Hickey, now 60 and a former milkman, said: “It just keeps coming. Things get worser and worser.”
Is Gladys Berejiklian waving? No, she’s drowning. Her premiership has been struck amidships by a tidal wave of scandal.
She can run fast but history shows that the scandals, once they start, will run even faster. In this hyper-charged environment, leaking and back-stabbing take over from loyalty and obedience.
You won’t find integrity among her Coalition colleagues; they are consumed by treachery. Her days are well and truly numbered, and even the dogs are barking it.
I’ve been keeping a list of recent scandals that have plagued her premiership. The list carries the fingerprints of her opponents in the Coalition: they want her out and a fresh Premier in because the name of the game has changed to saving seats. There is no lifeline for Gladys.
Breaking archive law
The State Archives and Records Authority has reported that Berejiklian’s staff broke the law when documents relating to the allocation of $252 million in grants from the Stronger Communities Fund were shredded.
Under the State Records Act 1968, Section 11 requires public officers to retain state records. Did the Premier’s staff know the law or didn’t they care about it?
Another scandal that is closer to home involved her secret partner and lover, Daryl Maguire, Liberal MP for Wagga Wagga. An Upper House inquiry into the Integrity, Efficacy and Value for Money from the Coalition’s grants program heard that Ms Berejiklian approved a $20 million grant in Wagga Wagga without going through the required approval process.
Although Maguire did not personally benefit from the grant, it was announced during the Wagga Wagga by-election that was sparked by his resignation in February.
MPs have already taken evidence that six grants under the Stronger Communities Fund were awarded to projects in Maguire’s Wagga Wagga electorate in 2017 during the secret Berejiklian-Maguire relationship.
Bushfire recovery grants rorting
Michael West Media first revealed the rorting of the $177 million fast-tracked bushfire recovery grants.
Bushfire Rorts: Coalition targets bushfire recovery funds for Coalition seats
Greens MP David Shoebridge, a Sydney barrister, was incensed by the payment of grants to bushfire victims in Coalition seats. Shoebridge said:
“For me, this is one of the worst cases of pork barrelling because this money was set aside to help bushfire-ravaged communities across the State. Instead of going on the basis of need, it has clearly been doled out on the basis of political connection.”
Relief funding of $11 million was paid to the Macleay Valley Skydiving Adventure Park, $8.2 million to overhaul the Showground and Racecourse at Casino and $8.25 million to expand Saxby Stadium at Taree.
In the Snowy Mountains region, Treasury money was allocated to two wineries to upgrade their cellar doors, while $3.5 million was used to develop a new cider plant and $3.95 million for casual fruit pickers at the caravan park at Batlow.
Shoebridge argued:
“You cannot explain these funding outcomes, other than through the prism of politics. This was a tap on the shoulder process, where people with connection to government got the funds and no one else knew it was available.”
Meanwhile, the heavily Labor and Green region of the Blue Mountains did not get a cent.
“The Blue Mountains was savaged by two mega-fires at the end of 2019,” said Shoebridge. “Almost two-thirds of the natural bushland was fire-affected, millions and millions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure was damaged, and houses and businesses were lost. It’s impossible to see how the Blue Mountains did not get a single cent.”
NSW Deputy Premier and Nationals leader John Barilaro tried to tell MPs that the spread of grants was reasonable and still open to claimants. But his words were ignored by most observers and only intensified demands for a thorough investigation into the distribution of $177 million in the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund.
The ABC’s 7.30 presented by Leigh Sales caught the Premier red-handed paying $5.5 million to the Australian Clay Target Association’s clubhouse and convention centre in Maguire’s seat of Wagga Wagga.
He had been calling for the project since 2005 and when funding finally arrived he drew great praise for his behind-the-scenes lobbying. After Paul Farrell and Alex McDonald’s report was broadcast, a senior Liberal declared that the Premier’s position had become “untenable”. Tony Harris, former NSW Auditor-General, has already condemned the grants rorting and called on her to resign.
ICAC announced this week Daryl Maguire will be recalled to answer questions about his “cash for visa” scam for Chinese nationals wanting to live/work/study or buy property in Australia. Hours later NSW Cabinet Minister John Sidoti, Liberal MP for Drummoyne, resigned after ICAC reported hearings would start at the end of March into corruption allegations. The former Sports Minister will sit on the crossbench, cutting the Premier’s majority to a wafer-thin one.
Labor MP Kerry Hickey, now 60 and a former milkman, spoke with great political wisdom when he said a Premier on the nose could not stop the avalanche of bad news:
“It just keeps coming. Things get worser and worser.”
His language may be laughably mangled but its essential truth isn’t.
Alex Mitchell is a former State Political Editor of Sydney’s Sun-Herald and a regular Friday contributor to John Menadue’s Pearls & Irritations. His latest book is Murder in Melbourne – The Untold Story of Palestinian exchange student Aiia Maasarwe.
Comments
12 responses to “Sea of scandal ready to engulf NSW Premier”
There’s an ‘axis of evil’ that goes from Sydney all the way to Canberra.
Howard, Abbott, Turnbull, Morrison? When will we get a prime minister from somewhere else?
Since Howard was elected, 73% of the time it’s been prime ministers that come from Sydney that lead the nation. Why? Is this democratic or just reinforcing Sydney’s power over federal politics?
keating? whitlam?
Howard was the one that brought in a new era of conservatism and bending the rules over such things as Liberal cabinet ministers never being outed, something that remains today with Liberals. He also lied his way through office. Even George Brandis called him a lying rodent. His connection with Sydney was prominent, particularly for talk-back media. The fact that there has been a significant and lingering change since Howard’s win in the 1990s is why I pick that date. You can add Keating but that doesn’t make a big difference to the percentage of time. Three Liberal prime ministers from Sydney since Abbott are far more relevant to the times we live in now, as well as their Sydney-based main stream media propaganda support machines which extend into country areas of NSW.
Personally I wouldn’t care if it was Labor or Liberal, Albanese would be another if elected, but I’m pointing out the domination of Sydney in federal politics over the last 25 years or so. My view is that Sydney is one of the most corrupt cities in Australia and its politics and corruption has a significant effect on federal politics, especially via those who come from there.
Mr Wendell: no problems with that. i’d say its worsening politics and almost constant corruption has had a particularly large adverse impact on some home-grown politicians of weak character, and because of that on Australia as a whole. both at State and Federal level.
To me that would exclude Whitlam, Keating and perhaps one other PM.
Regards
Mr Wendell: no problems with that. i’d say its worsening politics and almost constant corruption has had a particularly large adverse impact on some home-grown politicians of weak character, and because of that on Australia as a whole. both at State and Federal level.
To me that would exclude Whitlam, Keating and perhaps one other PM.
Regards
Mr Mitchell: dont forget the ‘resignation’ of Cabinet Minister Harwin.
This was for a charge of breaching a should-have-been-but-wasnt rule in the march-april 2020 stay home order.
Immediately called as bullshit by criminal lawyers in daily newspapers because there was no rule to breach.
Followed by the prosecutors dropping the charge on the steps of the courthouse – some 12 weeks later – due to the criminal lawyers (and anyone who read the stay home order) being right. And contrary to what was made out with the support of the Premier.
With one of the conflicting explanations by the Premier deserving immortality for its not guilty/guilty opinion: ‘Whilst Minister Harwin…continues to assure me that he did not break the rules, the orders in place apply equally to everybody. Accordingly, Minister Harwin has appropriately resigned from cabinet’.
Even though its not about money, its past time somebody looked at what went on there.
Regards
A former milko is just the person to ferret out shenanigans in the bedrooms of the powerful. Nice metaphor for the article. Perhaps “Sea of Sewage” might be more accurate.
From memory, the milkman on his pre-dawn round gets to see a lot that is meant to stay a secret.
Until the main stream media question the Premier and desist with stories of Howard’s fauning, she is safe.
Gladys has broken the glass ceiling in terms of shady deals. She is an equal opportunity grifter. So full marks for achieving gender equality in at least one area of NSW politics. She is right up there with “Run Em Over” Askin.
Not wanting to sound pedantic Skilts, but I think Askin’s immortalised and infamous precise words to LBJ were “run the bastards over”, near the intersection of Oxford and College Sts, Sydney.
And am a little proud to say, I was one of those anti-Vietnam War protesting “bastards” (or “mob” as Howard referred to us at the time of the 2003 anti- Iraq invasion protests); but still feel a bit of a piker, as I didn’t lay on the road in front of LBJ’s motorcade!
if it was labor the media would be having a field say at every opportunity that would 99% of airtime how bad Labor is, now silence, could it be they are biased could one think that?