Gladys Berejiklian, who has been elected unopposed as party leader of the NSW liberals and will be the next NSW premier, has said the party has proved its support for women leaders by electing her.
At a meeting that lasted less than half an hour on Monday, Mike Baird formally stepped down fulfilling his shock decision last week. Former treasurer Ms Berejiklian was then elected unanimously and former finance minister Dominic Perrottet was elected deputy.
Ms Berejiklian will be sworn in as NSW 45th premier this afternoon.
In a surprise move, former police minister Mike Gallacher rejoined the party caucus for the first time in two years.
He has sat as an independent since resigning over revelations at the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
An inquiry by ICAC found last year that Mr Gallacher breached election funding laws including by helping arrange a prohibited loan from failed coal baron Nathan Tinkler at a time he was trying to develop a coal port in Newcastle.
Asked how he felt about returning to the Liberals, Mr Gallacher said he felt "very comfortable talking to all my friends".
ICAC found there was evidence of Mr Gallacher's willingness to evade electoral funding laws. It said it did not consider Mr Gallacher was always "a truthful witness" and placed no reliance on his evidence unless it was corroborated.
It is understood that at the meeting, after thanking her colleagues for their support, Ms Berejiklian told the party room that unlike the Labor Party, which only hands the leadership of the party to a woman when the state is a basket case, she was inheriting the strongest economy and budget while the government is ahead in the polls – and was deeply grateful for this.
This was clearly a jibe at Kristina Keneally, NSW only other female premier, who took power in the dying days of the ALP state government in 2009.
Mr Baird told reporters after the meeting that a "fantastic premier was taking over from him".
Ms Berejiklian is expected in coming days to announce a major reshuffle of her cabinet with the only certainty that her deputy Mr Perrottet will be Treasurer. Her Nationals coalition partners are demanding additional seats in cabinet.
