New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has resigned from her position after the Independent Commission Against Corruption announced a public hearing into her conduct.
Ms Berejiklian will also stand down from parliament.
Ms Berejiklian described the decision as "extremely difficult" but said she had been left with no choice.
"Standing aside is not an option for me as the premier of NSW," she in a press conference today.
She acknowledged that the timing "could not be worse" and said: "resigning at this time is against every instinct of my being".
"I love my job and serving the community but I have been given no option."
Ms Berejiklian thanked the people of NSW for their support of her during her time in office.
"Serving you has been the greatest privilege of my life," she said.
"Please know that every day I gave it my all and worked as hard as I could to create a better future for the state and its people."
She said the people of NSW would come out of lockdown stronger.
"As I address you the final time as your premier, please stay the course and stay safe," Ms Berejiklian said.
"We will be shortly out of this lockdown and be able to get on with our lives."
She urged the state to support whoever is chosen as her successor. She will also resign from NSW Parliament.
It comes after ICAC announced it will hold public hearings into whether Ms Berejiklian engaged in conduct that "involved a breach of public trust".
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In a statement, ICAC said: "The Commission is investigating whether, between 2012 and 2018, the Hon Gladys Berejiklian MP engaged in conduct that ... constituted or involved a breach of public trust by exercising public functions in circumstances where she was in a position of conflict between her public duties and her private interest as a person who was in a personal relationship with the then NSW Member of Parliament, Mr Daryl Maguire."
ICAC will investigate any "position of conflict" between her professional role and her private relationship with Mr Maguire, then a member of state parliament.
ICAC will investigate whether her private relationship led to grant funding going to the Australian Clay Target Association Inc in 2016 and 2017, and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in 2018.
Both organisations are based in Wagga Wagga, the city in country NSW represented at the time by Mr Maguire.
ICAC will also investigate whether Ms Berejiklian "was liable to allow or encourage the occurrence of corrupt conduct by Mr Maguire".
Mr Maguire himself will be investigated for conduct that involved a breach of public trust.
The public inquiry will be held from October 18 and is expected to last for 10 days.
A witness list will be published closer to the date.
More to come...
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