Gladys Berejiklian announced her resignation today after a few months shy of five years as Premier of New South Wales, after the state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption announced it would investigate her in relation to the activities of former MP Daryl Maguire. This makes her the third Liberal Premier to have fallen foul of ICAC since it was established by Nick Greiner’s government in 1989, after Nick Greiner himself in 1992 and Barry O’Farrell in 2014.
There will now be a Liberal leadership contest to determine who replaces her as Premier, which the Sydney Morning Herald reports is likely to be between Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Planning Minister Rob Stokes. She will also shortly quit parliament, which will mean a by-election for her safe Liberal seat of Willoughby.
Wow ,that came like a shot out of the (Liberal) blue. I though she’d got away with that poor, little, in-love woman performance at the Icac hearing. But my first reaction was- kapow! Morrison’s lost his best mate and strongest State Premier supporter. His other Liberal Premiers have consistently avoided supplying the consistent, slavish support Gladys gave. And what’s extra shitty for him is that her announcement stole any attention away from his pronouncements on overseas travel today. Add the latest Morgan poll news and today is one day Morrison shouldn’t have got out from underneath the doona. Hey, some days are diamonds and some days are stones.
I had a look at Rob Stokes CV, not knowing too much about him. I see he has a Diploma of Bible Studies, so it looks like between him and Perrottet, NSW will be getting a religious conservative with a law degree as the next premier. Looks like his office had a history of very high staff turnover amid allegations of bullying, but no maladministration scandals like Perrottet with iCare.
The current euthanasia legislation might be an early test of just how far to the right they want to take the NSW Liberals.
Doesn’t look like you guys would miss her, so we would gladly find a job for someone as switched on and capable as Gladys here in the UK – Mayor of London perhaps.
So anyone started a market on Perrottet or Stokes yet?
Who is the favourite? My knowledge of the internal NSW Liberal party politics is not great.
B.S. Fairman says:
Friday, October 1, 2021 at 4:52 pm
“So anyone started a market on Perrottet or Stokes yet?
Who is the favourite? My knowledge of the internal NSW Liberal party politics is not great.”
My knowledge of the NSW Liberal party is that they are not great.
I lived in NSW for a dozen years – so I kind of kept an interest. Used to live in Ted Mack’s electorate.
Re: NSW Libs.
It very much depends what the Libs want out of this.
Perrotet would have to be the favourite based on profile and that he’s seen as business-friendly, v churchy and he’s come out of this current period pretty unscathed.
Stokes is a relatively inoccuous figure with a lowish profile but no real dirty laundry (as far as we know). There’s a definite upside to a less-known figure, but given the circumstances I don’t know if the Government wants the introduction of a new premier to at this point in time.
Giving Kean Deputy would certainly wrangle the wets, but may aggitate the right given his strong views on climate policy.
The libs/nats will find it a lot harder no matter who the leader is
I am still picking Victor Dominello
Perrottet has too much baggage. particular links with Trump connections are coming out
Bruce T
Switched on, capable, and don’t forget corrupt!
Bruce T
There isn’t a vacancy for Mayor of London and it won’t be up for election again until 2024.
Many on here have little understand the Australian character, you will get to see it in the News and commentary in the coming days. Even the average ALP supporter does not have the essential meanness in so many here.
Perrottet has serious questions to answer about his ministerial failures in the major financial scandal at ICARE the nsw workers comp insurance body.
Also,there is still the questions about
an American Republican political staff member being appointed to his office and paid by icare.
Also, Perrotet is a member of an extreme right wing fundamentalist catholic Opus Dei established by fascists in Spain.
Yeah I’m pretty mean on Liberal Party politicians who:
1. Blow $2billion on a pet project that everybody told her to NOT DO (and like the little concierge that she is facilitated a bunch of liberal party consultants to wet their beaks on on the way through);
2. Sell state assets that become private monopolies;
3. Tear town only to rebuild a series of fit for purpose and often award winning structures only to have them rebuilt so that …. Maaates can wet their beaks again;
4. Turn the entire Sydney property market into a spiv developer Ponsi scheme;
5. Allow and indeed facilitate the National party full frontal attack on the Holocene via land clearing legislation, Murray darling water theft, feral species protection legislation (FFS), dismantling fire protection services in NSW national parks;
6. He endless covid scandals (and fuck what Chris Minns’ says) starting with her failure to shut down the cruise industry a month BEFORE the Ruby Princess disaster and going up until today and beyond; and
7. The regional grants rorts – not just the rorts themselves, but lying about being involved and when the paperwork that she sort to have destroyed surfaced pinned her tail well and truly to the donkey, the ‘aw shucks, everybody does it routine’.
And heaps more than I care to mention.
FMD, Steam phallus: She’s been the worst person in public life in this country. Ever. In saying that I’m well aware that she has some stiff competition for the title – The Prophet Morrison, Milton Orkopoloulos, the Tonser. None can match her.
Liberals blame ICAC for getting their pants caught.
“Berejiklian was not alone in her suspicions. One long-time senior Liberal said: “ICAC knew exactly what they were doing. Not a care for the lockdown or that we are in a pandemic. ICAC always plays the politics.””
Social media is agog with the toppling of the queen….
So, do the Libs go to the polls (if they can) before all the ICAC revelations start coming out or will they try and ride the storm out until later? When is the next NSW election due?
Andrew_Earlwood @ #12 Friday, October 1st, 2021 – 5:57 pm
8. Completely and utterly botched the management of a highly infectious disease outbreak to the extent that it doesn’t just spread across Sydney, but into NSW and the rest of the country. And her seeming indifference to the chaos created and lives lost just underscores her incompetence.
2023 I believe?
Yup March 2023 – I can’t imagine there being a lot of tolerance for an election held any earlier.
jt1983 @ #18 Friday, October 1st, 2021 – 7:13 pm
Probably long enough for the furore to die down unfortunately.
Out of interest, as a Victorian who has seen the name written down many times, but never heard spoken aloud… How is “Perrottet” pronounced?
Parrot-head? Perro-tay? Pa-Rottid?
Many thanks to Andrew Earlwood (with additional comment from Fess) for lucidly detailing what a calamity this Premier has been. Our Murdocracy dominated media has engendered a Commonwealth of Amnesia in order to concoct phony historical narratives which protect her ilk.
If there was a Federal ICAC, just imagine the incessant Orwellian erasures of real events which would need to be perpetrated.
Prof. Higgins
You’ve sparked a possibility. Let’s supplement the Order of Australia with a parallel Order of Amnesia.
To distinguish the two awards, we’ll keep the small ‘o’ in the letters after recipients’ names.
Recipients may contribute to society through ‘services in assisting the community to forget instances of LNP corruption’ for example.
So, we might have journalist NNN (insert name here) C. o. A. (Companion of the Order of Amnesia) for meritorious service in assisting forgetfulness.
Steelydan
Partisan types being nasty isn’t new and is why many Australians fake disinterest with politics when most people do have opinions but know many partisan types can’t handle that.
Andrew_Earlwood
thanks for the list
does anyone think she quit not only because of ICAC? but also the full covid catastrophe only two weeks away. does she know more than she says? it is a blessing to have a reason to resign.
add to list a subclause – the suicides, the lost crippled businesses, the crude discrimination against western sydney which goes on and on and on despite stats (no end of lockdown for those plebs)
it is a good day for state and nation
“Don’t tell me about that. I do not want to know”
On tape and played to her in response to one of her answers – and to challenge her answer that she did not know and had never heard of the players in that matter
From that answer, her position was not tenable (and, watching, I said to my wife that the Premier of NSW is gone. My wife has since thrown this back at me, noting the support she has enjoyed from a political partisan media which has been my defence of my opinion to my wife – and along came today)
ICAC continues to investigate her former partner of 5 years
In that investigation they have identified another matter to be investigated
So we will have 2 investigations running at the same time
This presents an untenable circumstance to the former Premier of NSW
One inquiry will be also fuelling the other inquiry
Only the former NSW Premier and her former partner know how this will play out
The questioning is forensic
There is nowhere to hide
And certain aspects can be directly sheeted home to the actions of the Federal Government- so the accusations equally apply as will the findings
The NSW Premier and her former partner are just the start
political quiz
name one thing gladys did well? (this is serious question)
is she eligible for most incompetent govt in recent oz history?
thank you Observer
most interesting and I hope so
also hope a federal body is set up next year
It really is quite mean and unfair the way people on here expect their state Premiers to, like, not do corrupt things and stuff. So rude!
😆
The ABC is offering the following potential contenders for the NSW Premiership:
Dominic Perrottet…. just as Gladys before (and ScuMo federally) he is the usual Treasurer who thinks he has the credentials to become the boss.
Andrew Constance…. (also a former Treasurer) he comes with a more “humane” face…. but I doubt that ScuMo will be happy with him.
Rob Stokes….. he is supposed to be a serious contender…. but I am not sure.
Mark Speakman…. he is a “moderate” and perhaps also unlikely to be blessed by ScuMo…
Stuart Ayres…. The ABC lists him but the description that they provide doesn’t show much enthusiasm for the man….
The Binchicken is gone, but 58,289 NSWelshpeople who contracted Covid during this Third Wave, so incompetently managed by Gladys, and the family of 352 people who died by Covid also during this Third Wave, will not shed a single tear for her….
Let’s see what she says at the NSW ICAC…. and then, we may see her again after the Federal election and after the pandemic is over, if PM Albo puts together a Covid Royal Commission….
But for now…. Good riddance!
Say if Gladys is exonerated by ICAC, she is possible pick to be parachuted into Warringah next federal election?
Then that way Natalie Ward can be given Willoughby as a consolation for previously having designs on Warringah, as she is probably not that well known enough to be able to go up against Zali.
No tears from me for Gladys. A first class political fraud. Earnestness covering up for profound incompetence.
I remember when Willoughby was won out of the blue by Labor in 1978. Might have been a reflection on the Liberal candidate!
The by-election could be an interesting challenge for the Greens, in a clear 2 horse race. Have they got it or not? Labor would do well to stay out of it and put the machine to work in support of the Green candidate. It would be a good test of whether or not Greens are viable or blowhards in Blue-Green contests.
A R @ #28 Friday, October 1st, 2021 – 8:36 pm
I know! Bjelke-Petersen would’ve put his foot down!
The Greens got 11% in the 2019 election in Willoughby below ALPs 15%
2019 was the first time in 20 years that Labor was runner up in Willoughby. From 2003 to 2015, #2 was either an independent or Green. The Greens have done well in inner city Labor seats. How well can they do in inner city Liberal seats? I lived in Willoughby for a few years and it should be a more progressive friendly electorate than recent elections might indicate. It’s the kind of Liberal held seat the Greens need to win to be a credible 3rd force rather than merely competing with Labor for naturally left leaning electorates.
Hungry Jack
The problem with that question is many political partisans don’t accept any positives about the other side of politics.
hi mexicanbeemer
that is why i ask it.
in all sincerity. normally i am not so partisan
If Dan Andrews had resigned today under similar circumstances, I suspect Steelydan, who currently is passed out on their fainting couch, would be cheering as loudly as those whom he currently condemns.
Don’t get me wrong. In that scenario, a lot of the currently cheering Labor partisans would be the ones calling it disrespectful to be joyed at the news and expressing horror at the meanness of it all. My point here is she is a politician (as is Andrews and all other leaders in Australia) and being unsupportive or critical of her, or celebrating her downfall, isn’t punching down. She doesn’t need human shields feigning horror at her “treatment.”
If she had resigned because she was diagnosed with a terminal disease and didn’t have long left or something like that, then absolutely the mood should be more respectful but that’s not the case here, so it doesn’t apply.
Hungry Jack
Talking about partisan types was a general comment so sorry if you thought that was aimed at you.
Watching from Victoria I can’t think of why so many hold Gladys so highly and don’t get Phil Coorey calling her the women that saved Australia but judging politicians is a personal thing and in some cases its not based on anyone policy but then if we compare Gladys with Morrison then Gladys looks a solid leader.
Signal boost for Expat:
Andrew Elder called this last year. If it ends up being Stokes, he wins a carton.
Wat
Some of the reaction has been too positive but much of that has come from people seeing this as another case of women being unfairly treated and many people not really understanding why Gladys has stepped down.
I mean, yeah, women typically are held to a higher standard than their male counterparts in politics (on all sides) and, of course, she has been the recipient of some unfair gendered criticisms but, considering the profile of her had been mostly glowing and positive until recently, it’s a bit of a long bow to say that misogyny destroyed her.
And to clarify: I think there are some real valid discussions from the feminist perspective on this event. I don’t know how things would have been different if she was a man in an identical situation, whether or not she would have been allowed a bit more leeway and maybe had the potential for a second chance in the future. One can only guess. It’s a fair thing to discuss though.
However, I suspect those who are just oversimplifying it and making it a “She was brought down by sexism” are just bad faith actors being partisans feigning feminist outrage or trying to get a reaction. I also suspect some of the reaction to that element might also be an exaggerated strawman from the anti-feminist crowd as well.
Wat Tylersays:
Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 12:54 am
If Dan Andrews had resigned today under similar circumstances, I suspect Steelydan, who currently is passed out on their fainting couch, would be cheering as loudly as those whom he currently condemns.
________________
It would not be as loud.
Mod lib said it best years ago. No one hates like the left.
Antony Green looks at the coming by-election in Willoughby:
https://antonygreen.com.au/a-quick-guide-to-the-willoughby-by-election/
Is Berejiklian’s resignation double standards because she’s a woman? Perhaps. But there are things we don’t know yet:
1. What is to come of ICAC investigation into her? Did she anticipate the outcome by resigning first?
2. Did her own personal standards demand she resign rather than hang around further bringing the office into disrepute?
3. Is it nothing to do with ICAC and everything to do with her colleagues’ perception of her as damaged goods because of Delta, as foreshadowed by Liberal insiders in the media many weeks ago? In effect her resigning beats them to the punch and she goes before she gets pushed?
One thing is for sure is that she should’ve resigned months ago when it became painfully obvious that the NSW govt’s approach to managing a pandemic (key decisions made by cabinet rather than the CHO) allowed political manoeuvring rather than public health intervention to be the deciding factors. Plus that her #mockdown has been a clear failure.
If anything, her resigning rather than being pushed out by her colleagues has meant that rather than the carnage left behind by her mismanagement of Delta, people are going to remember the other things about her such as being the first woman premier of NSW to be elected in her own right.
Barry O’Farrell did not resign because of a bottle of wine, he resign because he told mistruths to NSW ICAC claiming he did not received any gifts/payments , the Bottle of wine was a gift which Barry O’Farrell denied he received.
Gladys Berejiklian also told NSW ICAC mistruths, denying Maguire was her boyfriend and denying she had meetings and knew what Maguire was talking to her about in the phone calls
You’d think the voters of Wagga would be happy because Daryl and his secret ex-girlfriend secured a conservatorium of music and a flash new function centre worth a combined gazillion dollars. Not so. People here are pissed off that our city’s name is being dragged through the mud. We were happy being recognised as a sporty city on the banks of the ‘Bidgee where everybody’s auntie Alice has lived since 1928. Gladys and the failed former furniture salesman have left us covered in their dodgy filth.
Hence Dr Joe McGirr’s 15% margin in a once safer than safe Liberal Party stronghold.
Gladys won’t be showing her face here any time soon.
Poor saint Gladys! Another innocent political career sacrificed at the alter of ICAC’s obsession with making politicians obey the law. What is a few million between friends?
They might as well have had the Edith Piaf soundtrack playing no regrets as Gladys gave her speech.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/01/no-regrets-full-text-of-gladys-berejiklians-speech-announcing-her-resignation-as-premier
Sarcasm off, Gladys’ refusal to deny wrongdoing shows just how low political standards have sunk in Australia. Public servants are sacked for failing to disclose potential conflicts of interest. She has been caught red handed with an actual conflict of interest and acts as though she has done nothing wrong. What a hide.
Meanwhile in the same week the AFP clears Federal politicians of any wrongdoing over a Badgeries Creek land deal that was plainly not in the public interest. Again, not acting in the public interest was a clear breach of the PS Act when I was a Federal public servant (in Howard era).
Cries out for moderate woman of south eastern Asian background.