Former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed she will not be running for a seat in the upcoming federal election, despite public encouragement from senior federal Liberals including Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
“I won’t be contesting the federal seat of Warringah or any other seat for that matter,” Ms Berejiklian told 2GB Radio on Friday morning.
“I’m going in a different direction."
The former NSW premier, who is currently subject to investigation by the state's political corruption watchdog, said she was "looking forward to a much less public life".
Ms Berejiklian’s decision follows several days of speculation over whether she would run for the seat of Warringah, once held by former PM Tony Abbott, and currently held by Independent MP Zali Steggall.
On Monday, Mr Morrison threw his support behind Ms Berejiklian's candidacy, describing her treatment by the NSW Independent Commission against Corruption (ICAC) as “shameful”.
Mr Morrison told reporters in Sydney that Ms Berejiklian would be “very welcome” in his team.
“If she wished to join our team, she would be very welcome. I have no doubt that whatever Gladys sets her mind to, she will be a great success,” he said.
In rejecting the offer on Friday, Ms Berejiklian said she was “really grateful to the PM and so many other colleagues, who really asked me to consider this".
"I promised them I would [consider the offer] and I did for a very short period of time and then obviously let them know that it’s not something I wanted to do and it’s just a different direction I want my life to take,” she said.
Speaking to reporters in Sydney on Friday morning, Mr Morrison wished Ms Berejiklian “all the very best”.
“She’s been a great friend of Jenny and I, particularly over these last couple of years, as we’ve worked together to combat that pandemic,” he said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Source: AAP
“NSW has done extraordinarily well and she’s going to go into a new chapter of her life … She’s been a trailblazer. She’s off to blaze a new trail ... we wish her all the best for her future.”
Ms Berejiklian quit NSW politics in October in the midst of the ICAC probe into her dealings with disgraced former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire, with whom she had a secret relationship.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet defended the integrity of the state's anti-corruption commission despite the continued attacks from federal Liberals.
Gladys Berejiklian (centre) and Daryl Maguire (right) in 2015. Source: Barry O'Farrell/Twitter
Mr Perrottet dismissed claims from Liberal MP Jason Falinski that the people of NSW had discounted the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
"(The) ICAC in NSW plays a very important role in preventing corruption and uncovering corruption," he told the National Press Club on Wednesday.
"Ultimately, what we should be doing is instilling confidence, not taking it away."
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. Source: AAP
Mr Perrottet said ICAC had a strong and significant role to play in the state's future.
With additional reporting by AAP.
