Ms Berejiklian's former chief of staff, Sarah Cruickshank, appeared at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Tuesday afternoon and revealed she knew about the secret relationship more than two years before it was made public in October 2020.

Ms Cruickshank agreed Ms Berejiklian had "not been fully frank" with her in a phone call in 2018 at the time Mr Maguire resigned from the Liberal Party and Parliament in disgrace, as Ms Berejiklian told her the relationship was "over before I became Premier".

Ms Berejiklian's solicitor at ICAC, Sophie Callan, challenged Ms Cruickshank on her recollection of the phone call but she denied she got the wrong impression of when the relationship was supposed to have ended.

In October 2020, Ms Berejiklian told ICAC that her relationship with Mr Maguire continued until August of that year, when she cut all contact with him after a private examination revealed more details of corruption allegations against him.

Tuesday was day seven of the anti-corruption hearings into allegations against former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian involving millions of dollars in grants to Wagga institutions heard from three of Ms Berejiklian's former staff members from her time as premier.

Neil Harley and Sarah Cruickshank were the premier's chiefs of staff at different periods and Brad Burden was the premier's former strategy chief.

On Monday, former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro appeared at ICAC and labelled former Wagga MP Daryl Maguire a "pain in the arse" over his attempts to get funding for various projects.

Ms Berejiklian has denied the allegations, saying that she acted with integrity at all times.

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