'blow-by-blow' file note after extraordinary meeting with daryl maguire: icac

The former chief executive of the Greater Sydney Commission was so angry about a meeting she attended in Parliament House with then-Liberal MP Daryl Maguire in 2018 that she took the

extraordinary step of recording a "blow-by-blow" file note and informing then-Planning Minister Anthony Roberts. Sarah Hill was the inaugural chief executive of the GSC when she

was personally asked by then-Roads Minister Melinda Pavey to give Mr Maguire a standard briefing on western Sydney planning and road networks. However upon arriving at Parliament House for

the meeting in March 2018, Ms Hill said she was shocked to learn Mr Maguire had also invited developer Louise Raedler Waterhouse and a consultant. At the time Ms Waterhouse was attempting to

secure the sale of a large parcel of land near Western Sydney Airport. On Friday Ms Hill told the Independent Commission Against Corruption the meeting that followed began as expected,

before it turned to the rezoning of Ms Waterhouse's land. "I was particularly energised after the meeting to write a very detailed file note straight away. To be frank, I was

angry. I felt either I had made a mistake or I had been put in a difficult situation and I didn't feel comfortable... which really riled me." Ms Hill was giving evidence to ICAC,

which is investigating whether Mr Maguire used his position as a member of parliament for his own financial benefit and a company he silently directed. She told the commission she only took

very detailed notes about a meeting when "I was concerned about a meeting or feel I need to be cautious around being verballed." Ms Hill said she recalled her distinct feeling that

Mr Maguire not acting in the meeting as a member of parliament, but more of an advocate and "indeed frustrated we weren't progressing the conversation the way they wanted it to

go." At the time Ms Waterhouse was seeking to change the "metropolitan rural area" boundary on the land, to assist in rezoning, the commission heard. "I recalled saying

we reviewed many submissions which pointed to the need to maintain the boundary... I remember him getting very frustrated at that and being quite derogatory to bureaucrats," Ms Hill

said. "I would not normally record a blow-by-blow, he said, she said [note]." Ms Hill subsequently sent a ministerial briefing note to Mr Roberts, telling ICAC she thought it was a

priority that the minister was aware because GSC plans were days away from going to cabinet discussions. The commission will hear from former parliamentary liaison officer for Ms Pavey,

Jock Sowter, on Friday afternoon. Mr Sowter is currently the director of strategy for Deputy Premier John Barilaro, who is on mental health leave. On Thursday ICAC heard Mr Maguire and

property broker William Luong, were working together to secure a $330 million sale of the land owned by the Waterhouse family to the Australian arm of property Chinese developer Country

Garden. The land lay within a stone's throw of the Western Sydney airport. It was hoped the sale would net Mr Luong a brokering commission between $6.9 and $9.9 million, of which Mr

Maguire would secure around 10 per cent. The inquiry continues. GET OUR MORNING & EVENING EDITION NEWSLETTERS Lucy Cormack is a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age,

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