Voters in the NSW Riverina will head to the polls twice in a matter of months after Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced disgraced Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire would resign from state parliament.
Mr Maguire last week quit the Liberal Party and his role as parliamentary secretary, after a corruption inquiry heard secret recordings of him discussing potential commissions with a local councillor from property deals with a wealthy Chinese developer.
But a defiant Mr Maguire had until now refused to quit NSW politics, saying he would remain in Parliament until the March 2019 state election.
On Saturday afternoon, Ms Berejiklian said Mr Maguire would resign some time next week, before Parliament resumes on August 7. A byelection will be held in the seat of Wagga Wagga, Ms Berejiklian said.
It is good that he has been forced to resign. But if he has behaved criminally, then he needs to be prosecuted, and if convicted, jailed.