Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett has defended recently resigned NSW premier Barry O'Farrell, describing the events that lead to his downfall as “entrapment”.
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Mr O'Farrell announced his resignation on Wednesday after giving misleading evidence to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
On Tuesday, Mr O'Farrell repeatedly denied under oath that he received a $3000 bottle of 1959 Penfold's Grange Hermitage a month after he became premier in March 2011.
A note written by Mr O'Farrell thanking businessman Nick Di Girolamo for the “wonderful wine from 1959”, emerged on Wednesday morning, and he resigned a short time after.
Speaking on radio 3AW on Thursday, Mr Kennett diminished the seriousness of Mr O'Farrell's transgression and said that no one's memory was perfect.
“On a scale from one to 10 in terms of what ICAC's about, it's a bloody one rating,” he said.
“It's failure to disclose, failure to remember and he's paid the highest price for it. It's entrapment.”
Mr Kennett said premiers received many gifts and that he “hoped” he had declared everything he was given while in office.
“I have been given lots of bottles of wine over my political career, I've got lots of little doodle-dangles,” he said. “I got some paintings, I got some artwork, I got some bits and pieces. Now most of those I hope I declared, most of them I left with the department.”
Mr Kennett said it was impossible for anyone to remember events from three years prior in detail in every instance.
