Wagga Wagga's regional shooting club and its music conservatorium are 450 kilometres away from Macquarie Street, Sydney, but are at the heart of one of New South Wales' biggest political shocks.
Key points:
- The ICAC will investigate Gladys Berejiklian over potential breaches of public trust
- Ms Berejiklian said she was left with no choice but to resign
- A new leader for the Liberal Party will be decided in coming days
The multi-million grants these organisations received to upgrade their ageing headquarters have, ultimately, led to Gladys Berejiklian's resignation.
As Premier., Ms Berejiklian was behind some of the state's biggest infrastructure projects — that weren't without controversy.
But it was two smaller-scale upgrades that led to her undoing.
AAP: Bianca De Marchi
)The 45th Premier of NSW elected to resign following an announcement by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) that she would be investigated for potential breaches of public trust.
Later this month, the watchdog will determine whether Ms Berejiklian was in a position of conflict when grants were awarded to the Australian Clay Target Association and Riverina Conservatorium of Music between 2016 and 2018.
Both groups are based in the seat of Wagga Wagga, which Ms Berejiklian's former lover, Daryl Maguire, held at the time.
ABC News: Simon Wallace
)The grant for the shooting club — located in an industrial area of Wagga Wagga — meant the simple clubhouse could be transformed and a new convention centre for around 1,000 people could be built.
When it was approved, Mr Maguire said he was "thrilled".
ABC News: Simon Wallace
)ABC's 7.30 revealed Mr Maguire wrote to the Premier, asking for her assistance in funding the upgrade, and months later she oversaw the fund that set aside $5.5 million for the target association.
This grant will form a pivotal part of the ICAC inquiry, but club officials stayed silent yesterday after the Premier's shock resignation.
As for the conservatorium, a $20 million grant announced by Ms Berejiklian means the organisation will eventually move out of its outdated building into a state-of-the-art facility which is still being built in the heart of Wagga Wagga.
In 2014, Mr Maguire told parliament, "I will do all I can" to get the conservatorium upgraded.
Ms Berejiklian announced the money during the 2018 Wagga Wagga by-election, sparked by the resignation of Mr Maguire, on top of an already $10 million allocated for the upgrade.
Facebook: Riverina Conservatorium of Music
)Although the Premier has been adamant she always followed proper process with grants, she has admitted she "stuffed up" by forming a relationship with Mr Maguire that lasted five years.
Her future was put into question last year during ICAC hearings where she disclosed the relationship but, ultimately, it was ICAC's new interest in these two Wagga Wagga grants that prompted the curtain call from Ms Berejiklian.
However, the conservatorium's chairman, Andrew Wallace, said the attention on Ms Berejiklian's involvement with the grants had tarnished their reputation as well as hers.
"The stuff that was said in the Upper House and the questions that have been asked in the community since, it just creates a different tone in the community towards us, which is totally unwarranted,” Mr Wallace said.
“And that's very, very frustrating because we're still doing our job and doing the best we can.
"There's nothing there that was unusual or known for impropriety at all but there's a black smudge that comes with all this notoriety."
ABC News: Simon Wallace
)Although the grants will now be heavily scrutinised, federal MP for the Riverina Michael McCormack said that did not mean the funding was not deserved.
"I know the people who run those organisations [work] very hard to put together programs, particularly for young people so they can hone their skills whether that's with a clay target rifle in hand or with a musical instrument, and this must be of concern to them," Mr McCormack said.
"Those two organisations are well run and have been well run by volunteer groups for many, many years and [they will] see the benefits for many years to come.
"Why they were granted that money, that is very much a matter for ICAC, and it would be inappropriate for me to comment but those two projects I will just put on the record were needed for this city and, indeed, Wagga Wagga has done very well under the Liberals and Nationals government."
Ms Berejiklian will stand down as Premier when the Liberal Party votes on a new leader in coming days but she will also resign from her seat of Willoughby, which will trigger a by-election.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, from the conservative faction of the party, is considered the front-runner to replace her.
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2021-10-01 20:04:16Z
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