Odinian Beta

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been forced to resign due to moves by ICAC to investigate her. Specifically, ICAC is investigating whether Gladys “breached public trust” when she awarded grants to various organisations while dating Darryl Maguire, former member for the seat of Wagga Wagga.

After being the best leader in Australia against the coronavirus, Gladys is now gone.

This is a tragedy, particularly as her more nuanced view of how to deal with the coronavirus was in stark contrast to the thuggish actions of “leaders” like South Australian Premier Steven Marshall, or the Labour premiers of Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria, who locked people in their homes at every opportunity.

I have previously noted that her fantastic leadership during the pandemic makes her deserving of an Order of Australia medal so I may be biased, but I have an uneasy feeling about yet another NSW Premier being forced to resign due to the actions of ICAC.

Third to go

Gladys is the third Liberal premier to be forced to resign due to proceedings initiated by ICAC. Nick Greiner was forced to resign in 1992 but was ultimately found not to be corrupt by the Court of Appeal. Then Barry O’Farrell was forced to resign in 2014 after failing to declare a $3,000 bottle of Grange he received from a property developer.

As for Labour, no Premiers have yet been brought down by ICAC but its evidence helped send former Labour ministers Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald to prison.

While I oppose corruption, whether in politics or elsewhere, this raises questions as to whether ICAC is the right way to deal with such matters.

Despite not being charged with a crime nor ICAC finding her guilty of anything, at least not yet, Gladys has been forced to resign at the mere announcement by ICAC that they are investigating her.

Aren’t the people supposed to hold politicians accountable, not some unelected bureaucrats and power-hungry lawyers?

Doesn’t this insert ICAC in place of the voters who are supposed to decide our Premier?

ICAC’s actions essentially turn the presumption of innocence until proven guilty on its head.

Moreover, as a citizen of New South Wales, I find it hard to believe that our politicians are more crooked than their cousins in other states or at the Federal level.

Media get their woman

The media of course are in clover, happy that Gladys has finally gone.

This is after their frankly disgraceful behaviour towards her over the past 18 months, whether it is rudely interrupting her or constantly asking her why she hadn’t locked people in their homes at the first signs of an outbreak in June.

One gets the impression that many in the media were disappointed she didn’t follow the Chinese Communist Party’s lead and weld people’s doors shut for the duration of the pandemic.

If Gladys had been a Labor Premier instead, then of course the biased journalists would have been on their best behaviour. Look at how they treat the incompetent premiers of Victoria and Queensland.

Regardless, if the reaction from ordinary people outside the media-political bubble is any guide, a majority of the state is sorry to see Gladys go.

She dealt with the pandemic and a hostile media in a professional and gracious manner, and she should be proud of her efforts.

Given she is only 51, I wonder if her political career still has a few years to go?