I was saddened to see Gladys Berejiklian resign due to the totally unnecessary and mistimed announcement by the NSW ICAC that she was under further investigation. It was unnecessary at this time as we are in the middle of a pandemic and also as ICAC will, if true to form, investigate it at their leisure. ICAC could have waited. 

Her resignation deprives the people of NSW, and indeed Australia, of a much respected, well liked and able leader at a crucial time in our history. I’m sure her likely replacement Dominic Perrottet will prove a fine premier but ICAC’s handling of this matter poses a number of questions. 

Gladys fundamentally seems guilty at worst of making a bad choice in forming a relationship with Mr McGuire and on the information to date may well be cleared of any wrongdoing. 

I am suspicious of ICAC and it has always worried me that Nick Greiner (himself an innocent victim of it) set up a star chamber answerable to no-one where people are presumed guilty and have to prove their innocence.

It is also very suspicious that three good people and former NSW Liberal Premiers have been the principal victims: Nick Greiner – subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing, in appointing an independent member to a government position; poor old Barry O’Farrell, a fine  man I knew well, being crucified over forgetting about being given a good bottle of red wine, who  was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing; and now Gladys.

Federal Liberal Member of Parliament Jason Falinski is worth quoting here when he told the Weekend Australian: “ICAC continues to perpetuate gross injustices. It is an organisation who openly threatened the parliament if it did not get a budget increase. It is an organisation that could not find any corruption in the Carr and Keneally government until they were voted out of office and then refused to investigate any activities going back two years.”

Three NSW premiers have lost their job because of ICAC and many other  innocent people have had their lives turned upside down and wrecked unfairly as a result of ICAC’s actions; heroic Crown Prosecutor, Margaet Cunneen, the bane of Sydney pack rapists comes to mind here. Who investigates and holds accountable the ICAC inquisitors? No one, it seems. 

ICAC, in my view, is a tarnished organisation, where obvious accusations of political bias can be leveled at. It’s time for the NSW parliament to get rid of it. There is one body that can usually  be trusted to uphold and apply the law fearlessly and without favour and that is the AFP and most (not sure about Victoria) of our state  police forces. They are also governed by that tried and true principle ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and are overseen by parliament. 

The federal parliament would be mad in the circumstances to create a federal ICAC.

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