JOHN Robertson is facing a revolt from Labor MPs, who are plotting to replace him after revelations the Opposition Leader received a $3 million bribe offer when he was a union boss and failed to report it to police.

"Everyone reckons he's just a lame duck," one MP said yesterday. "It'll be Daley or Rees."

MPs said yesterday that Shadow Treasurer Michael Daley or former Premier Nathan Rees were likely to be drafted to challenge Mr Robertson with the latest revelations "the last straw" for the electorally unpopular leader.

The Attorney-General Greg Smith said yesterday he would write to the Independent Commission Against Corruption to draw its attention to The Daily Telegraph's revelations on Saturday about the "alleged offer a bribe to the now Leader of the Opposition".

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"In light of the ICAC's earlier inquiry [Operation Napier] into the alleged corrupt conduct arising out of the purchase of the Currawong estate, the Commission may be interested in reviewing the latest developments," a spokeswoman for Mr Smith said.

It's understood the government are keen for the ICAC to examine the prospect Mr Robertson may have breached the section of the Crimes Act relating to "concealing serious indictable offence" or section 316.

The section states that if a person has "committed a serious indictable offence and another person who knows or believes that the offence has been committed . . . fails without reasonable excuse to bring that information to the attention of a member of the Police Force or other appropriate authority, that other person is liable to imprisonment for two years".

Both Mr Daley and upper house Labor leader Luke Foley yesterday refused to back Mr Robertson over the way he handled the attempted $3 million bribe from murdered standover man Michael McGurk.

Mr McGurk allegedly offered a 10 per cent cut on his $30 million bid to buy the union site Currawong off Unions NSW to Mr Robertson in a one-on-one meeting prior to 2007.

Mr Robertson admitted the offer to The Daily Telegraph last week and said he saw no reason to take it to police at the time, saying he "shut it down" before it could go anywhere. He also did not end Mr McGurk's bid to buy the union property Currawong after the offer, although Mr McGurk eventually failed with his bid.

Mr Foley and Mr Daley declined to comment yesterday when asked what they thought of the way Mr Robertson handled the matter.

Mr Rees was also less than supportive, saying only: "I have confidence in Mr Robertson's version of events. He is familiar with the details and background. I'm not."

The scandal comes at the worst possible time, with internal Labor polling showing a likely 10 to 15 per cent swing against the government expected in the Miranda by-election on October 19 - because of anger at former sports minister Graham Annesley for quitting parliament, as well as blowback over O'Farrell government scandals.

"I think it looks pretty bad for him," one Labor MP said.

"I understand why he didn't take it anywhere at the time because it was two blokes in a room and the other bloke would have denied it but surely when the bloke was shot you think you'd go to the police."

The news of the attempted McGurk bribe comes after controversial powerbroker Eddie Obeid revealed in ICAC earlier this year that Mr Robertson used to stay at the Obeids' ski chalet when he was in charge of Unions NSW.

"[Premier Barry] O'Farrell doesn't even need to mount a campaign. He should just run cartoons of him skiiing in the chalet and having a beer with Michael McGurk," another MP said.

Another MP said: "This guy comes in and introduces all these "new standards" for us where we have to say how much our wives earn.

"First it was the ski lodge, now all this and he doesn't report it.

"The MPs are not happy."

Unions NSW boss Mark Lennon, who was Mr Robertson's assistant secretary at the time of the bribe offer said yesterday Mr Robertson had told him about the McGurk offer, but only after Unions NSW accepted the eventual winning bid by developer Allen Linz's Eco Villages for Currawong.

Mr Robertson again defended his actions yesterday, saying: "I immediately rejected the offer outright . . . and therefore I was satisfied that was the end of the matter."

COMMENT by Andrew Clennell

DON'T bet on John Robertson making the 2015 election as Labor leader.

I'd say he'd be lucky to make Christmas.

The anger from Labor MPs yesterday at The Daily Telegraph revelations on the alleged bribe offer from murdered standover man Michael McGurk to Robertson when he was Unions NSW boss was absolutely palpable.

Some had already been involved in a shadow cabinet stoush with Robertson about his "New Standards" policy - rules which mean not only do Labor frontbenchers have to declare their own taxable income, but that of their spouses.

Now the MPs are accusing their leader of utter hypocrisy.

First they found out at ICAC that Robertson used to holiday at Obeid's ski chalet at Perisher. Now, they find out Robertson just dismissed a bribe offer out of hand without telling the police or throwing Michael McGurk out of the tender for Currawong. His excuse? That he "shut it down".

"Mate, whatever you've got to offer, put it in the formal bid," Mr Robertson told The Daily Telegraph he said to Mr McGurk.

Mr Robertson denies any wrongdoing, saying: "I immediately rejected the offer outright … and therefore I was satisfied that was the end of the matter."

In 2009, when Robertson was a minister and Michael McGurk was murdered, he might have thought to take the allegation of the $3 million bribe offer to police? But, no.

What's even more galling for MPs is that after Mr McGurk was shot, Mr Robertson was answering questions about any meetings he had with Mr McGurk about Currawong in parliament and from journalists - but again, no mention of the alleged bribe.

A senior Labor frontbencher told me last week that the Labor opposition had to work out whether Robbo was "part of the problem or part of the solution" when it came to getting out of the ICAC mire and taking it up to Premier O'Farrell at the next election.

It seems to me, he may now have his answer.

Originally published as Labor vultures circling over bribe