NSW premier says she felt ‘deep disappointment’ after learning of secret recordings of disgraced former Liberal

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The New South Wales premier is urging the disgraced state MP Daryl Maguire to reconsider his position in politics after secret phone recordings of him discussing potential developer “dividends” were played at a Sydney corruption inquiry.

Gladys Berejiklian said she felt “deep disappointment” after learning the recordings, played at an Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing on Friday, were of the Wagga Wagga MP trying to strike a deal in 2016 with the then Canterbury city councillor Michael Hawatt.

“Whilst it is for Mr Maguire alone to determine whether he stays on as the elected member until next March, I would encourage him to think carefully as to whether he can effectively represent the people of Wagga Wagga from here on in,” Berejiklian said in a statement on Sunday.

MP Daryl Maguire urged to quit after tapes reveal he sought property deal payments Read more

Maguire quit the Liberal party on Friday night after the Icac inquiry heard telephone conversations of him trying to arrange with Hawatt the “dividend” they would get for helping arrange a multi-million property sale to a Chinese developer.

“1.5% isn’t enough divided by two, if you know what I mean,” Maguire was recorded as saying.

The veteran Liberal MP also quit his role as parliamentary secretary for counter-terrorism, corrections, veterans and the centenary of Anzac but will remain in state parliament as an independent.

The premier said the opening of nominations for the seat of Wagga Wagga would be brought forward so an “appropriate” new candidate for the Liberal party could be preselected.

Since the revelations, Maguire has been under pressure to quit politics all together.

The Wagga Wagga mayor, Greg Conkey, called on the MP to seriously consider quitting parliament while local Labor-aligned councillors said the city “deserves better than this”.

The acting NSW opposition leader, Michael Daley, said while Berejiklian has “no power to compel anyone to go”, Maguire should not be allowed to remain on the crossbench as “a lame duck wrongdoer” until the state election in March.

Maguire, who has held the safe seat since 1999, apologised for causing “distress and embarrassment” to the party and denied he had ever received or shared any commission from brokering property deals with Hawatt.

In recorded calls with Hawatt, the MP described the Chinese developer Country Garden as “mega-big” with “mega-money” and said he had “half a dozen” other potential clients wanting to buy development-approved sites in Sydney.