Australian state premier calls secret relationship with China-linked politician Daryl Maguire ‘a mistake’
- Gladys Berejiklian told a corruption probe she dated Daryl Maguire, who was allegedly involved in a ‘cash for visas’ for Chinese nationals, from 2015
- The NSW Premier called the secret relationship a ‘mistake’, but said she would not step down from her position because she had ‘not done anything wrong’
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed the relationship to the NSW Independent Commission into Corruption (ICAC), prompting calls from the opposition Labor party for her resignation.
Addressing media after the hearing, Berejiklian said she had “made a mistake in my personal life” with a relationship she did not even disclose to her family or closest friends, but would continue to serve as premier because she had “not done anything wrong”.
“People may have tried to influence me … but they failed,” she said.
Berejiklian had earlier told the ICAC she was “beyond shocked, disgusted” by evidence put before the inquiry that the former MP for the town of Wagga Wagga, Daryl Maguire, was allegedly involved in a “cash for visas scheme” for Chinese nationals involving falsified employment.