O’Farrell resigns

A thread for discussion of today’s shock resignation of New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell.

New South Wales will shortly have its fifth Premier in seven years following the bombshell resignation of Barry O’Farrell, who was today embarrassed by the emergence of a card in which he thanked Australian Water Holdings boss Nick Di Girolamo for a $3000 bottle of wine he yesterday denied having received. O’Farrell is the state’s second Liberal Premier to have been brought down by the exertions of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Nick Greiner having fallen foul of an adverse ruling in 1992 involving a job offer to Liberal-turned-independent MP Terry Metherell. It now falls to the Liberal Party to find a replacement: without being too aware of the daily machinations of New South Wales politics, my immediate presumption was that the Treasurer, Mike Baird, would be the front-runner. However, I am seeing Gladys Berejiklian, Andrew Constance, Brad Hazzard and Jillian Skinner mentioned around the place.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

721 comments on “O’Farrell resigns”

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  1. Presumably Barry O’Farrell doesn’t get so many expensive gifts that he loses track of them and forgets who gave what when.

    Is it conceivable that he didn’t appreciate its value, rather like Jim Hacker in that episode of ‘Yes Minister’: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moral_Dimension

    Presumably he knew it was special and didn’t just take it along to the next barbecue he went to. I’m not a wine buff but I would realise that a bottle of wine with my year of birth (presuming anything that old is still drinkable) is not something you’d pick up at the corner bottleshop. Why didn’t he declare it on his register?

    Jim Hacker was able to elegantly side step the problem. Barry O’Farrell wasn’t as lucky.

  2. [Diogenes
    Posted Wednesday, April 16, 2014 at 1:14 pm | Permalink
    So did Girolamo have the handwritten note all the time and hold it back to set up BOF?
    ]

    Yes. He revealed its existence to ICAC this morning. What other little treasures is he holding back?

  3. victoria@38

    Goodness me PVO and others say that BOF may have genuinely forgot to have received the wine, but of course, Gillard was supposed to remember her role as a lawyer 20 years ago. Spare me

    Indeed. What do ICAC do now. Recommend perjury charges ? or accept it as a genuine ‘memory lapse’ ?

    If it is treated as a ‘memory lapse’ which many media outlets are running with – why not treat others the sameway in future?

  5. [I recall when employed as a secretary adviser having to send back a bottle of brandy given to a Minster by a developer for Christmas.]

    I recall the DG at my former workplace handing out several trays of mangoes to department staff, and making a point of not taking any of them himself.

  6. sprocket – in the US they would be offering Nicky G immunity. Indeed, right now there would be a buns rush to get to the prosecutors first and lock in the immunity deal.

  7. sprocket

    That’s pretty sneaky. If they showed all the evidence yesterday when they questioned BOF, he wouldn’t have gotten in nearly as much trouble.

  10. Diogenes,

    [And what was BOF thinking when he lied to ICAC? Is admitting you got a bottle of Grange worth losing your career over?]

    Born to rule mentality.

  15. [I still can’t work out why BOF just didn’t say I can’t recall receiving the wine, but I may have. Would that have led to a worse outcome than flatly denying it?]

    Maybe he was bluffing Di Girolamo? I agree that his actions impart the impression that there is much more going on beneath the surface.

  16. I blame Nick Greiner. ICAC is clearly damaging the memories of apparently otherwise cognitively fit people. In this case, it has not only damaged the memory of the Premier, but his wife as well, who didn’t even appear at ICAC.

    Even the note — his note — now circulated on twitter, didn’t prompt recall.

    ICAC is a health hazard far worse than alcohol, plainly, and should be abolished. It’s the only way people’s memories will return. I’m just surprised that NDG recalled where he stashed the thank you note.

    😉

  17. [in the US they would be offering Nicky G immunity]

    Maybe he has been granted immunity? Can such a deal be agreed but remain secret whilst the hearings continue?

  18. The whole thing is weird. How BO’F let himself get into trouble over something that others would simply have “not recalled”. Why he let the stakes get so high (what are the real stakes?)

    I really hope there is something bigger here and that we get to find out what it is …

  22. [Gladys Berejiklian is a moderate and will not be far enough right for Murdoch. ]

    Baird is a moderate too. The right wing nutjobs don’t have a horse in this race. Besides, one of the right’s chief standard-bearer (Hartcher) is on the bench, after his own ICAC snafu.

  23. [Andrew Catsaras ‏@AndrewCatsaras 21m
    Think about it: would @barryofarrell deliberately perjure himself at the ICAC over something that was so easy to prove? Seriously?]

    ????

  24. Kate McClymont ‏@Kate_McClymont 1h
    Meanwhile, The Oracle (Kostopoulos) is going off at Nicky Di G about his dealings with the Parrot, radio host Alan Jones #icac

    What is this about?

  25. [Think about it: would @barryofarrell deliberately perjure himself at the ICAC over something that was so easy to prove? Seriously?]

    Isn’t this another way of saying (as Goebbels did) the bigger the lie, the more likely it is to be believed?

  26. Isn’t this another way of saying (as Goebbels did) the bigger the lie, the more likely it is to be believed?

    Perhaps, but if he had remembered, he would have remembered the card he wrote (and the phone call). He would have known (if he was attempting to lie and get away with it) that NdG had already dropped him in it and couldn’t be counted on to not have revealed the card.

    I’m still (possibly naively) feeling like BO’F genuinely didn’t remember the bottle or responding to receiving it.

    The only other option is there is something much bigger that is still to come out that is such a big deal it felt worth throwing the dice on a long shot hoping a blatant lie would stay buried … if that’s the case as I said I really hope we see what unravels.

  27. [New South Wales will shortly have its fifth Premier in seven years following the bombshell resignation of Barry O’Farrell]

    Jeez, and he we were discussing Game of Thrones!

  28. [Isn’t this another way of saying (as Goebbels did) the bigger the lie, the more likely it is to be believed?]

    Yeah, but that only works in social settings, not when you’re giving evidence in a court where there are real penalties for being found out!

  33. The real reason for wanting to forget the wine has something to do with not declaring it in the first place. He knew he had to declare it because he told ICAC this yesterday, but didn’t. Why?

    And what does “ALL your help” refer to?

  34. JRobertson Opp leader did a presser earlier. He emphasised that this is not about a bottle of wine but the influence of lobbyists of fhose holding high office who are there to serve the public

  35. [ Andrew Catsaras ‏@AndrewCatsaras 21m
    Think about it: would @barryofarrell deliberately perjure himself at the ICAC over something that was so easy to prove? Seriously? ]

    He didn’t forget about the wine. He forgot about the note

  37. William Bowe:

    [I’m quite sure that Andrew Catsaras’s point is that O’Farrell genuinely couldn’t remember the bottle of wine.]

    Or the phone call. Or the hand written note. Or where he was at the time he didn’t receive it. (Was he really holidaying on the Gold Coast?)

  38. MTBW
    Posted Wednesday, April 16, 2014 at 1:55 pm | PERMALINK
    mari

    Jones would forgive anything the Libs do and you can bet money that if he is asked for favours he would give them.

    Yes agree but why was he pursued at #icac I wonder

  39. And what does “ALL your help” refer to?

    I don’t know that I would read too much into that. It seems like a fairly generic ‘thank you’ note to a fundraiser.

  40. FRAN – And the one who got the most amnesia at the ICAC was Nick himself, if I recall. There were great portions of his premiership that evaporated from his mind.

  41. I would like to congratulate Barry O’Farrell on his resignation.

    He has shown integrity and honour in his decision to stand down as Premier.

  42. I think I’d give the benefit of the doubt to O’Farrell – I think he probably did forget and he’s now done the right thing.

    I won a bottle of Grange last year. However, company policy meant I couldn’t keep it so it was auctioned off for charity.

  43. [I’m quite sure that Andrew Catsaras’s point is that O’Farrell genuinely couldn’t remember the bottle of wine.]

    Thank you, William, that was precisely my point.

  44. William

    I read it that BOF went beyond saying he didn’t remember, he said it he wine never came and he constructed a tale about rushing to the airport to go on holiday or something.
    There seems to be some sympathy for him as many regard him as an honest toiler but it just begs the question as to why his counsel allowed him to go down this road. He knew well in advance he would be asked about the wine.

  45. BOF obvoiusly thought he had to defend his brand (being squeaky clean and better than the Labor crooks). Maybe he also thought that a finding against him (even over a $3000 bottle of wine) would kill off his premiership anyway (probably right).

  48. rossmcg:

    [There seems to be some sympathy for him as many regard him as an honest toiler but it just begs the question as to why his counsel allowed him to go down this road. He knew well in advance he would be asked about the wine.]

    And counsel raised some cock-and-bull story about security being lax around the O’Farrell residence.

    BOF’s account of events went well beyond just not remembering.

  49. There are PLENTY who have gotten away with a lot worse than Fatty O believe me!

    Keep up the good work ICAC.

    Let’s hope the big one is next?

    An inquiry into a second casino in Sydney.

    Oh yeah, an inquiry into a second casino in Sydney 😎

  50. Maybe he also thought that a finding against him (even over a $3000 bottle of wine) would kill off his premiership anyway (probably right).

    But there was no prospect that ICAC would make such a finding.

    They didn’t even know about the bottle until a couple of days ago and haven’t they said today that ICAC will not pursue O’Farrell any further (ie his resignation has pre-empted him being done for not telling the truth to ICAC?).

    It’s the most perplexing thing here. A few “I don’t recalls” and he would have been free to carry on being premier. It’s all very peculiar.

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