STATE Labor deputy Yasmin Catley has labelled Gladys Berejiklian "unfit to be the premier" after her appearance at an Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing on Monday.
Ms Berejiklian was forced to reveal her "close personal relationship" with former Wagga MP Daryl Maguire at the ICAC probe into his business dealings.
The ICAC has accused Mr Maguire of using his public office and parliamentary resources to improperly gain a benefit for himself or for G8way International - a company he allegedly "effectively controlled".
Mr Maguire quit the NSW government in 2018 after a separate ICAC inquiry, but he and Ms Berejiklian remained in a relationship until she cut ties in August.
Ms Catley said Ms Berejiklian was "unfit to be the premier" after ICAC heard evidence she was aware of at least of some of Mr Maguire's business dealings while he was still in government.
Phone calls and text messages between the pair were played and presented at the hearing, which revealed Mr Maguire told Ms Berejiklian in 2014 he "should make 5k" after one of his "contacts sold a motel" for $5.8 million.
Ms Berejiklian denied she had deliberately distanced herself from his affairs in an attempt at self-preservation.
"This isn't about her personal life. It's about her professional judgment," Ms Catley said. "She is unfit to be the premier."
Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison echoed Ms Catley's comments and the broader party's line that the concerns were "not at all about the premier's personal life".
"This is about turning a blind eye," she said.
"Did the Premier choose to see and hear no evil?
"Unfortunately, bad behaviour does occur in politics. Unfortunately, corruption does occur in politics."
Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp said he had "no interest in who the Premier chooses to share her personal life with, but we know very well in the Hunter what happens when MPs start striking deals with property developers".
"It's completely unacceptable that anyone in parliament, including the premier, would turn a blind eye to this," he said.
NSW Opposition leader Jodi McKay was set to move a motion of no confidence in Ms Berejiklian with a vote expected on Wednesday.
Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper, an independent, said Ms Berejiklian's "error relates solely to her personal life" and he would not support the no-confidence motion unless proven otherwise.
"I've always had a high regard for the Premier and even moreso given the way she's handled herself and the pandemic over the past year," he said.
"There is no doubt that she's made a serious error of judgment in regards to her relationship (with Maguire), but at the moment that error relates solely to her personal life and there is no evidence to suggest anything more than that. On that basis we must let the ICAC do its job, and it's why I cannot currently support the Opposition's motion of no confidence."
