Category Archives: Independent Commission Against Corruption

Icac finds former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian and Daryl Maguire engaged in serious corrupt conduct

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Berejiklian stood down in 2021 after it was revealed she was in a ‘close personal relationship’ with Maguire, who was also found to be corrupt by Icac’s Operation Keppel

Former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has been found to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct by the state’s corruption watchdog.

However the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) has not recommended charges be pursued against Berejiklian.

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Former NSW ministers Eddie Obeid, Joe Tripodi and Tony Kelly charged with misconduct after Icac inquiry

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Charges flow from 2014 corruption investigation into infrastructure company Australian Water Holdings

Former New South Wales Labor ministers Eddie Obeid, Joe Tripodi and Tony Kelly are facing criminal charges flowing from an Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation into a controversial water infrastructure company.

The trio will face court charged with criminal offences after a 2014 NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry into infrastructure company Australian Water Holdings.

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Icac chief tells pork-barrelling forum that NSW fund is on ‘other side of the line’

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Anti-corruption watchdog plans to publish its own report on pork-barrelling, ‘including whether and how it relates to corrupt conduct’

The head of the New South Wales anti-corruption watchdog has cited the Berejiklian government’s notorious $252m Stronger Communities fund as a clear example of pork-barrelling, saying almost its sole motive was political, calling it “clearly on the other side of the line”.

Peter Hall QC, the chief commissioner of the state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac), told a forum, examining the legality of pork-barrelling in politics, that the fund was “on the other side of the line” of what was “permissible”.

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Pork-barrelling should be banned and grant process overhauled, report for Icac says

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Law expert Prof Anne Twomey calls for grants to be made on merit and based on clear criteria

A report commissioned by the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption has called for pork-barrelling to be prohibited and instead grants should be made strictly on merit after assessments against clear criteria.

The report, by the University of Sydney constitutional law expert Prof Anne Twomey, says a major overhaul of the way government makes grants is needed to ensure they are awarded on merit and are no longer used for pork-barrelling in marginal seats.

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Josh Frydenberg opposes independents’ call for public hearings and tip-offs in proposed federal Icac

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Treasurer says public hearings would see politicians ‘guilty until proved innocent’, but integrity experts say objections ‘ring hollow’

The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, has defended the lack of public hearings in the government’s proposed federal integrity commission, saying he opposes a model that would see politicians “guilty until proved innocent”.

Frydenberg, who is under pressure in his Melbourne seat of Kooyong on the issue of integrity and climate change, said that while he agreed with the need for a federal anti-corruption commission, he disagreed with the independents on two elements – public referrals and public hearings.

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Independent funding for NSW’s Icac rejected on ‘philosophical’ grounds

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Premier Dominic Perrottet says the executive should make funding decisions after rejecting new model

New South Wales’ premier, Dominic Perrottet, says he denied a request by the state’s anti-corruption watchdog for its funding to be made independent from government because of a “philosophical view” about the role of the executive.

On Tuesday Perrottet announced an overhaul of funding for the state’s key integrity bodies, including the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac), after long-running concerns about the role government ministers have in providing money to the agencies.

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Scott Morrison’s Icac claims are ‘absolute rubbish’, say transparency experts

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Legal figures say it is ‘ridiculous’ for the PM to call the NSW corruption commission a ‘kangaroo court’ that has led to too many politicians resigning

Transparency experts have criticised as “absolute rubbish” Scott Morrison’s claims that the resignations of New South Wales Liberal premiers Nick Greiner and Barry O’Farrell show the Independent Commission Against Corruption is a “kangaroo court”.

On the defensive after effectively ditching his commitment to create a federal anti-corruption body, Morrison complained on Friday that the NSW Icac had resulted in politicians quitting “too many times”.

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‘Massive policy failure’: retired judges blast Morrison’s broken promise on federal Icac

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Former supreme court judge Anthony Whealy says Coalition’s explanation for not legislating a promised anti-corruption commission is ‘spurious’

Retired judges have criticised the Morrison government’s broken promise on the federal anti-corruption commission as a “massive policy failure”, saying the Coalition’s explanation for walking away from the pledge was “spurious”.

The Coalition is under pressure over its failure to introduce legislation establishing its proposed anti-corruption commission, despite promising to do so prior to the last election.

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Icac queries Barilaro grant to company linked to Angus Taylor’s family

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Icac refuses to confirm or deny if it’s investigating, but has asked questions about the $107,000 grant

New documents reveal the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption has asked detailed questions about a $107,000 grant made by the former deputy premier, John Barilaro, to Monaro Farming Systems, a company linked to the family of federal cabinet minister Angus Taylor.

The grant was paid out of Local Land Services funds – part of Barilaro’s then portfolio of regional NSW – in 2018, and was announced by the deputy premier.

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Morrison accuses critics of wanting ‘kangaroo court’ as Liberal MP crosses floor over integrity bill

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PM says Gladys Berejiklian was ‘done over’ by NSW Icac but Tasmanian MP Bridget Archer says government needs to act

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has accused critics of wanting a “kangaroo court” to oversee federal parliament after he faced an internal revolt over the Coalition’s failure to establish a commonwealth integrity commission.

On Thursday morning, the Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer crossed the floor to support independent MP Helen Haines’ push to establish a federal integrity commission. Archer had told Guardian Australia she was frustrated with the government’s “inertia” on the issue.

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‘Part of the love circle’: 10 memorable moments from Gladys Berejiklian’s Icac appearance

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Former NSW premier faces a barrage of questions about her former secret boyfriend Daryl Maguire

Roughly a month after resigning as New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian fronted the Independent Commission Against Corruption and faced a barrage of questions about her former secret boyfriend and Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire, whether she gave him favourable treatment, or failed to act on suspicions he was involved in corrupt conduct.

Bombshell is an overused word. But today’s hearing contained at least 10.

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Australian politics live: Victoria records 1,903 Covid cases, NSW 265; Liberals hear climate plan; Gladys Berejiklian Icac hearings begin

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Liberals hear climate plan; Victoria and NSW release Covid numbers; Tasmania snap lockdown to end tonight; Icac hearings begin into Gladys Berejiklian; Barnaby Joyce ‘hopes’ climate won’t split the Coalition – follow the latest updates live

The federal treasurer and Victorian Liberal MP Josh Frydenberg has once again ramped up his attacks on the Victorian Labor government over lockdowns (you may remember some of his speeches on the Victorian lockdown last year) a theme he continued yesterday, even as the state government announced an earlier than expected loosening of restrictions.

Daniel Andrews responded to that on ABC News Breakfast this morning:

Well, look, I would just say to Josh, this is not about you and your breathless political rants don’t work against this virus. This day and this week, and the weeks to come, are all about Victorians who have done an amazing thing.

They’ve got vaccinated in record numbers and in record time. And this is their moment. It’s not for Josh. And his endless criticism and negativity, I just don’t think it goes down very well in Victoria because it doesn’t work against this virus. So, I will say no more about him.

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Labor renews calls for national integrity commission over Sydney airport offsets

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Mark Dreyfus says corruption watchdog needed to investigate government buying $30m in offsets related to new airport

Labor has strengthened its call for a national integrity commission, saying it is needed to investigate the Morrison government’s purchase of more than $30m in environmental offsets related to the development of the western Sydney airport.

The shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, made the call after the New South Wales transport department referred its purchases of $50.6m in offsets from the same western Sydney properties to the state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption for investigation.

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Three people in Daryl Maguire’s cash-for-visa scheme could be stripped of citizenship

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Home affairs will be ‘tough-minded’ if fraud is proven, Michael Pezzullo tells Senate estimates

Three Australians who received visas with the help of the disgraced former New South Wales Liberal MP Daryl Maguire could be stripped of their citizenship if it was obtained through fraud, the home affairs department chief has warned.

Michael Pezzullo made the threat in Senate estimates on Friday when he promised his department would be “tough-minded” if fraud was proven after a departmental and Australian Border Force investigation into the cash-for-visa scheme.

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Labor says scandals are behind federal Icac delay as Coalition blames Covid

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Scott Morrison says focus must be on public health crisis, despite passing more than 90 other bills this year

Scott Morrison claims the sustained pressure of managing the coronavirus pandemic has prevented the government from landing its longstanding commitment to establish a national anti-corruption body.

With controversy over the Leppington triangle land purchase continuing to reverberate, and questions being raised over contact between the deputy prime minister Michael McCormack and the disgraced New South Wales MP Daryl Maguire, Labor on Wednesday confronted the government over its persistent failure to establish a federal anti-corruption body.

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Western Sydney airport: families left in ‘indefinite limbo’ call for end to backroom deals

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Hundreds of residents are set to protest amid claims wealthier landholders have received favourable planning decisions

A group of families left in “indefinite limbo” by planning decisions that favoured wealthy landowners near the Western Sydney airport have called for an end to secretive backroom dealing as they prepare to stage public protests against their treatment by government.

Two separate scandals have now raised serious questions about the way land near the massive airport development is being handled, and the degree to which landholders are lobbying state and federal governments for favourable treatment.

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Former MP didn’t know why he spoke in ‘code’ during conversation with premier – as it happened

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The former Wagga Wagga MP and the NSW premier have previously said it was 2015. This blog is now closed

And that is where I will leave you.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption’s investigation into whether Daryl Maguire improperly used his position as a politician for his own benefit concluded with admissions from the former Wagga Wagga MP on Friday.

To be clear, though, the transcript shows that later in the day Maguire seemed to walk that back a little, saying 2014 was “clearer in my mind”.

Robertson:

From your perspective the relationship was a close personal relationship on those two dates that you there identify. Do you agree?

I see that. But 14 was clearer in my mind – 14/15.

So is it right that at least from your perspective, you were in a close personal relationship with Ms Berejiklian in calendar year 2014, is that right?

I originally said 15 and I lean towards 15 still, or late 14. That was, that’s my recollection, somewhere there.

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Icac NSW inquiry: Daryl Maguire gives evidence as Gladys Berejiklian refuses to resign – live

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Former Wagga MP questioned over corruption allegations including that he misused public office to broker property deals in western Sydney that would financially benefit him. Watch and follow the live stream

• Berejiklian faces questions about meeting with convicted criminals
• Maguire asked business associate to delete messages and emails
• Anne Davies: the Liberals have failed to learn from Labor’s mistakes
• Richard Ackland: NSW would be a more unsavoury place without Icac

We’re back and Robertson dives straight into grilling Maguire over an invoice sent to the Chinese delegation on a G8Way International letterhead which included a “fee for introduction”.

Robertson asks if the fee was raised with Maguire, who says he doesn’t remember.

I don’t recall seeing it ... I would have thought so.

We’re now taking a 15 minute recess adjournment.

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‘One of the most difficult days in my life’: Gladys Berejiklian vows to fight on

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NSW premier is under pressure to resign after disclosing secret relationship with disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire

The New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has admitted she “stuffed up” in her personal life, but has stared down calls to resign following extraordinary revelations she had for years maintained a secret “close personal relationship” with the disgraced former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire.

In a press conference following her explosive appearance before the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Monday, Berejiklian declared she had not considered resigning “because I haven’t done anything wrong”.

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Corruption inquiry retrieves ex-NSW MP’s hard drive two years after staffer told ‘it gets lost in the post’

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Rebecca Cartwright tells anti-corruption watchdog she stored Daryl Maguire’s work computer in her parliament house office from 2018

A NSW government staffer didn’t reveal she was storing former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire’s parliamentary computer hard drive because it may have contained information that could implicate him, an inquiry has heard.

The government whip’s secretary, Rebecca Cartwright, on Wednesday told the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) that she has been storing the hard drive in her parliament house office since 2018.

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