Between 2015 and 2020, the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, made multiple taxpayer-funded visits to Wagga Wagga, the seat of disgraced MP Daryl Maguire with whom she was having a close personal relationship.
She visited Wagga hospital three times during the period to inspect the progress of its redevelopment, even though at that stage the seat was not marginal.
Berejiklian’s taxpayer-funded trips were all associated with government announcements, although sometimes they involved relatively slight amounts of funding. A number occurred on Fridays or on the weekend.
The secret relationship became public on Monday when the premier was called to give evidence before the Independent Commission Against Corruption, which is investigating the conduct of Maguire. This week he admitted he was seeking commissions on business deals and running a visa racket out of his parliamentary office. The inquiry is continuing.
Berejiklian has said she did not know of his wrongdoing and that she did nothing to assist his business deals. But she was often able to lend her star power as a minister to Maguire in his local community.
In February 2015, when transport minister, Berejiklian visited Wagga on a Friday to announce “multimillion funding” for a transport interchange at Wagga railway station. She was photographed by the Wagga Daily Advertiser walking along the station with Maguire.
She did not claim any accommodation and the records, which had been previously sought under freedom-of-information laws, show she was booked on a flight to Sydney the next day.
In 2016, there was at least one visit. The official travel records have not been released between 2016 and 2017, but a Twitter post by Nationals leader Michael McCormack show Berejiklian, then the treasurer, was in Wagga on 28 August 2016, a Sunday, to sign contract for roads associated with a freight hub with federal minister McCormack, and Maguire.
Signing of contracts for vital logistics hub roads etc at #Wagga with @GladysB, Daryl Maguire and @WaggaCouncil pic.twitter.com/R8Sru1Xzqz
— Michael McCormack (@M_McCormackMP) August 28, 2016
Having just become premier, Berejiklian made another trip to Wagga on 10 February 2017 to announce the redevelopment of the Wagga hospital. It was a Friday.
Mayor @GregConkey welcomes the NSW Premier @GladysB to #Wagga pic.twitter.com/LubwPZP9Qk
— City of Wagga Wagga (@WaggaCouncil) February 10, 2017
In August, she was back to make an announcement in nearby Junee, with local MP Katrina Hodgkinson. Berejiklian announced $5m to upgrade the local sewage plant.
She was back again in October to announce increased funding for Wagga schools. At North Wagga public school, she announced $200,000 in re-allocated funding to stave off the school’s closure. She also visited an oil plant, to “celebrate the creation of Riverina Oils.”
Premier in Wagga to celebrate the creation of Riverina Oils now Aust largest edible oil producer. #agchatoz #nswpol @GladysB pic.twitter.com/yIUgALaMri
— Benjamin Shuhyta (@shuhyta) October 30, 2017
On this trip she also had a controversial meeting with two Riverina publicans with criminal records with whom successive gaming ministers had refused to meet. The meeting was at the behest of Maguire.
But Berejiklian’s secret relationship was upended in July 2018 when Maguire was caught in a separate Icac operation investigating corruption at Canterbury council. Maguire was recorded on tape trying to secure development sites in the council area for a Chinese company. On 13 July, Icac announced an investigation into Maguire.
Berejiklian was forced to sack Maguire from the Liberal party on her return from leave. He agreed to resign from parliament before 7 August when parliament resumed. But he then appeared to hesitate.
On 1 August, Berejikllian claimed airfare back from Wagga to Sydney. There is no record of how she got there. Twitter posts show Berejiklian was inspecting progress at Wagga hospital, where the government was investing $400m.
Inspecting progress of the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital redevelopment. The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is investing more than $400 million in the hospital, which continues to attract the State’s best young doctors. #NSW pic.twitter.com/h7TFLCZxuE
— Gladys Berejiklian (@GladysB) August 1, 2018
On 3 August, Maguire announced that he would resign from parliament triggering a byelection.
That required Berejiklian to be back in Wagga on at least another five occasions as she and the Liberals battled to hold the seat in the face of the scandal.
The seat was won by an independent Joe McGirr, the first time in 60 years that the Liberal party had lost it.
Despite the political cost of Maguire’s behaviour, Berejiklian continued the relationship, Icac has heard. But her trips to Wagga have been less frequent.
She visited Coolamon on Tuesday 11 June 2019 to announce $355m of drought assistance. The travel records show she flew to Wagga to reach the town which is in the neighbouring electorate of Cootamundra, held by the Liberals.
A spokeswoman for the premier said that all of the trips identified by the Guardian were for official business.
