Gladys Berejiklian’s star power could be Liberals’ NSW election trump card
Gladys Berejiklian was back for the Liberals this week.
Her emergence in the NSW election campaign may have been low key, but it certainly attracted attention, which could both help and hinder Dominic Perrottet.
The former premier was in Penrith to help the former minister Stuart Ayres.
He resigned from cabinet at the height of the John Barilaro overseas trade post scandal, and is now attempting to stave off Labor in his marginal seat.
The Premier’s stance is certainly different to some other Liberals and is in stark contrast to Mr Morrison’s.
In 2021, the then-prime minister declared Ms Berejiklian had been “done over” by the state’s corruption watchdog.
“What was done to Gladys Berejiklian, the people in New South Wales know was an absolute disgrace,” Mr Morrison said at the time.
Back then, he was arguing against a push for a federal ICAC.
He also wanted the former premier to run in the federal seat of Warringah, on Sydney’s northern beaches, to try to take it back from independent Zali Steggall.
Ms Berejiklian chose not to be the candidate, and, she is still waiting for the corruption watchdog to hand down its findings, maintaining she’s done nothing wrong.
It’s been two-and-a-half years since the bombshell revelation at ICAC she was in a secret relationship with the former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire, who was under investigation for corruption.
And, it’s been almost 18 months since Ms Berejiklian resigned as premier when ICAC announced it was also investigating her conduct over failing to disclose the relationship and the ramifications of that fact.
So, voters are going to the polls not knowing the outcome.
Mr Perrottet has always been steadfast in his support of the state’s corruption watchdog.
It’s also politically smart at this point.
He can’t afford to ignite the debate over integrity and corruption that played out during last year’s federal campaign when there are “teal” independents challenging Liberals in Sydney’s north.
Ms Berejiklian is set to pop up in at least one of those seats, in an unofficial capacity, before people head to the polls next Saturday.
The question is: will voters bask in her glow, or, does she cast a shadow?
It also draws inevitable comparisons between Ms Berejiklian as premier and Mr Perrottet, and it is indisputable that, at her height, she enjoyed far more popularity than the current leader.
For some voters, Ms Berejiklian may have the star power, but she is no longer the star of the show, and her presence isn’t without its problems.
And, a problem-free campaign is key, one week out from polling day.
