The premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian has survived a no-confidence motion in the upper house by a single vote as her former partner Daryl Maguire confessed using his ‘public office for personal profit’ in an inquiry by the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Wednesday.
On Monday, the NSW Premier revealed to the inquiry she had been in a secret personal relationship with Maguire, a disgraced former MP for Wagga Wagga since 2015, prompting calls from the Opposition Labor party for her to resign.
The no-confidence motion was defeated 47-38 in the lower house on Wednesday, and the motion was also defeated in the upper house on the same day. A tied vote of 20 for and 20 against in the upper house required chair John Ajaka MLC to cast his vote which was an against, therefore providing the premier with a narrow win.
The premier is under pressure to explain if her relationship with Maguire was behind a decision to meet with two convicted criminals to discuss “gaming issues” while in Wagga Wagga.
Maguire made a slew of admissions on Wednesday, including that he sought to “monetise” his parliamentary office as he accepted ‘thousands of dollars’ as part of a cash for visa scheme.
Maguire was forced to resign from parliament in August 2018, after an earlier corruption inquiry heard evidence he sought to broker Sydney property deals for Chinese companies.
