WATCH: Daryl Maguire faces second day of ICAC questioning
Former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire is due to appear before the ICAC inquiry into his conduct while in office from 10am.
It is Mr Maguire's second day of questioning before the inquiry. You can catch up on yesterday's revelations here. It is expected today's questioning will cover the former MP's secret five-year relationship with Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
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Maguire let property developer 'drop in' to Premier's office
Daryl Maguire says he suggested property developer Jo Alha "drop in" to Premier Gladys Berejiklian's office after they had been drinking in his own office upstairs.
"Jo wanted to meet the Premier: he said, 'Can we go and see Gladys? Can we go and see Gladys?'" Mr Maguire recalled. Mr Alha had been showing his development model to Mr Maguire and former chief of staff Robert Vellar over "a couple of glasses" of wine.
The ICAC hearing with Daryl Maguire on Thursday.
Mr Maguire was asked by the Commissioner if that time and location for their meeting was chosen because of the likelihood that the Premier might be able to be dropped in on.
"One of the reasons you arranged the meeting on the particular day and at the particular time and the particular place was the possibility that you would be able to introduce him to, or allow him to see the Premier by way of a drop-in, is that right?" she asked.
"Yes," Mr Maguire replied.
The former MP said the pair then visited the Premier's office for "about two minutes". He said he could not remember if Mr Alha had his development model when he visited the Premier, but he did not believe he still had his glass of wine.
"My recollection is we were there for probably less than two minutes. Niceties were spoken ... the Premier knew Mr Alha from various functions and things that occur," he told the inquiry.
Mr Maguire could not recall if he was the first person to introduce Mr Alha to the Premier.
Inquiry 'unlikely to be finished' with Maguire today
The ICAC inquiry into former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire has restarted this morning, and it seems Mr Maguire will be back in the box tomorrow.
Counsel assisting Scott Robertson began proceedings by saying the inquiry was "unlikely to be finished" with Mr Maguire today.
Now the inquiry has turned to a meeting between Mr Maguire, former chief of staff Robert Vellar and property developer Jo Alha in Mr Maguire's Parliament House office.
Mr Maguire yesterday told the ICAC he met with Mr Vellar, the chief of staff for the minister for planning, about three or four times "in person" before the staffer agreed to a meeting with property developer Jo Alha.
"He knew the purpose. I'm very clear on that... to come and have an informed discussion with Mr Alha and give him some advice," Mr Maguire said on Wednesday. Mr Vellar had previously told the ICAC he was ambushed into the meeting.
Crossbench waiting to hear on federal ICAC plan
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has helped end the political careers of premiers and expose the corrupt behaviour of government ministers, police and local government officials since it was established as the state's public sector watchdog in 1988, Anna Patty writes in today's Herald.
Former NSW Liberal premier Nick Greiner was forced to resign in 1992 after the ICAC, the very body he created, raised concerns about the appointment of former education minister Terry Metherell to a public service job in the Environmental Protection Agency that had been specially created for him. Since then the watchdog has been integral to the unveiling of scandals including corrupt MPs Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald and that infamous bottle of grange.
But months after the government said it would restart talks over its proposed federal anti-corruption body, crossbench senators are still waiting to hear from Attorney-General Christian Porter, Nick Bonyhady reports.
Following renewed calls for a national integrity commission triggered by the sacking of Victorian state minister Adem Somyurek in June, Mr Porter said his "next step" would be to talk to the crossbench, whose votes could be critical to passing any government bill.
ICYMI: Maguire staffer asked to 'get rid of everything' now working for Deputy PM
In case you missed it, yesterday evening the Herald reported Daryl Maguire's former staffer, who appeared before the ICAC, is now working for Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.
From Angus Thompson and Lucy Cormack:
A former staff member of Daryl Maguire who told a corruption inquiry she was instructed to delete material from his electorate and parliamentary offices is now working for Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.
Sarah Vasey leaves the ICAC after giving evidence last week.Credit:Nick Moir
The Independent Commission Against Corruption last week heard Sarah Vasey was employed as a media advisor in the electorate office of the former Wagga Wagga MP when he told staff to "get rid of everything" following his resignation from Parliament in 2018.
Ms Vasey gave evidence in person that Mr Maguire's appearance before a separate inquiry that year had prompted him to ask her to "discreetly" arrange for data on three devices to be transferred onto a USB and put it in her handbag for "safekeeping".
She told the inquiry she had the USB in her possession when Mr Maguire's son James phoned the electorate office to say that ICAC officers were raiding the family's Wagga Wagga home.
Ms Vasey left the office and took the USB to her house. She eventually returned the USB to him and, at a BBQ at a later date, he told her the USB stick had "met an unfortunate accident in the paddock".
A 'glass of red' and visas for cash: what happened at yesterday's hearing
Before he is again questioned by the ICAC today, let's look back at some of the revelations which came out of former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire's first day before the anti-corruption watchdog on Wednesday.
Daryl Maguire gives evidence at the ICAC on Wednesday.
- Mr Maguire told the inquiry he turned his office into the part-time headquarters for a private business network he silently directed called G8wayinternational Pty Ltd. The business advertised experience and access to "high levels of government," which Mr Maguire eventually agreed was a reference to him.
- He told the commission he attempted to use his diplomatic and consular weight around Asia to help Chinese business associates with a view to also making a commission.
- He also admitted that he accepted thousands of dollars of cash on multiple occasions at Parliament House, for a cash for visa scam he ran with his G8wayinternational associate Maggie Wang.
- He said "having a glass of red" was code for an off the record meeting with a property developer and the former chief of staff to then-planning minister Anthony Roberts, directly contradicting evidence given by former chief of staff Robert Vellar last week who said he felt "ambushed" by Mr Maguire when the meeting occurred.
You can read Lucy Cormack and Alexandra Smith's full recap of the day's events here or catch up using yesterday's blog.
'She will be the premier on Friday, next month and at the next election'
Attorney-General Mark Speakman says the Liberal party room is "100 per cent" behind Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Speaking on Sunrise, Mr Speakman denied the Premier had changed her media approach to be less apologetic, after some tense exchanges with reporters on Wednesday in which she described questioning as "frankly offensive".
"I do not think anything has changed ... her only focus is delivering on the people of NSW," he said. "We have a major health crisis here. Our first job is to keep people safe, to keep people healthy."
Asked if he had aspirations to take on the premier role, should Ms Berejiklian step down, Mr Speakman did not entertain the question.
"She will be the Premier on Friday, next month and at the next election," he said. "The party is 100 per cent behind her."
Speaking later on ABC News Breakfast, Mr Speakman said he did not want to comment on the evidence that had been given by Daryl Maguire during the ICAC hearing so far, and what he expected to come.
"As the state's first law officer, it's not appropriate for me to comment in detail on Mr Maguire's evidence; I don't want to pre-empt or influence ICAC in any way," he said.
"But what I will say is this: the public is entitled to deserve the utmost honesty in members of Parliament. We are uniquely responsible for delivering for our citizens. If people breach that position of trust, if they are corrupt, then they deserve everything that is thrown at them."
Daryl Maguire arrives at the ICAC
Former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire has arrived at the ICAC nice and early ahead of the recommencement of his questioning at 10am.
Daryl Maguire enters ICAC ahead of another day of questioning.Credit:Nick Moir
Constance 'not nervous' ahead of second day of Maguire questioning
Transport Minister Andrew Constance says he is "not nervous" for Premier Gladys Berejiklian ahead of an anticipated questioning of former MP Daryl Maguire regarding his five-year relationship with the Premier at the ICAC today.
"I am not nervous because I know Glad has done nothing wrong; she is an incredible leader," he told Today, adding that he believed if there was information about the Premier which could place her leadership in jeopardy, it would have been aired when she appeared before the inquiry on Monday.
Mr Constance maintained that the Premier "didn't know the extent" of Mr Maguire's activities. He said "what was extraordinary" about Mr Maguire's evidence on Wednesday was that he "played everybody".
"His office in Parliament House as government whip is the busiest office in the house ... and yet he confirmed at ICAC he was running it as one of his offices for his private affairs," he said.
The Transport Minister said, despite experiencing what she herself described as a "personal nightmare", the Premier has been strictly focused on the pandemic and growing case numbers in western Sydney.
Welcome to today's blog
Good morning and welcome to today's NSW politics live blog. This is Mary Ward taking you through the morning's developments.
Disgraced former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire will face his second day of questioning at the ICAC inquiry into his misuse of his political position to further his business interests today. Yesterday's hearing focused on Mr Maguire's use of his position and public resources to conduct a cash for visa scam and property brokerage. You can catch up on the revelations here.
Mr Maguire will be back before the ICAC at 10am. His second day of testimony could decide the leadership of Premier Gladys Berejiklian, with the pair's five-year relationship expected to be discussed. Stay with us.
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2020-10-14 23:14:00Z
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