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Gladys Berejiklian will soon have her say at an inquiry investigating her secret relationship with former NSW MP Daryl Maguire, after he revealed they loved each other, contemplated marriage and discussed having a child.

Mr Maguire was the one originally under the microscope when the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption launched public hearings into his business dealings.

But when Ms Berejiklian last year sensationally revealed their clandestine relationship, it sparked a separate investigation into her own conduct, which resulted in her resigning as premier on October 1.

On Friday she will get her chance to answer the allegations against her.

The former Wagga Wagga MP on Thursday admitted the pair were in a relationship between 2015 and 2018, which became physically intimate.

He had a key to Ms Berejiklian's home, which he never returned, and they had contemplated marriage and discussed having a child together.

"You loved her?" counsel assisting the commission Scott Robertson asked.

"Yes," Mr Maguire replied.

"So far as you can ascertain, she loved you as well?"

"Yes.

"We had our moments but yes."

The former premier last year told ICAC the pair's relationship was not of "sufficient status" to disclose to anyone.

Under cross-examination from Ms Berejiklian's lawyer, Mr Maguire agreed the pair did not share finances or a diary, did not celebrate an anniversary and had not formally introduced themselves to each other's families.

He sometimes did not even let her know when he was in town.

Ms Berejiklian earlier on Thursday lost a bid to have ICAC hear details of the relationship in private because of the "humiliation and harm" the public evidence would cause.

Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl denied the request, saying the matter was in the public interest as ICAC is investigating how the relationship may have impacted the way Ms Berejiklian dealt with projects Mr Maguire lobbied for.

The public hearings have focused on two grants - a $5.5 million upgrade to the Wagga Wagga Clay Target Club and a $20.5 million plan to build a recital hall for the Riverina Conservatorium of Music.

Mr Maguire on Thursday agreed he had been a "serial pest" to several ministers about the projects.

"I think the term was 'a pain in the arse', yes," he said, referencing evidence given by former deputy premier John Barilaro on Monday.

He conceded the relationship gave him greater access to Ms Berejiklian than other MPs, and in their private life he "encouraged" her to take a close interest in the projects.

ICAC aired several conversations he had with Ms Berejiklian about them, one in which he railed against bureaucratic red tape "typical of our bulls*** government".

But Mr Maguire denied he ever explicitly asked his partner to intervene, although he conceded he would sometimes communicate with her in the hope she would.

In one phone tap, Mr Maguire can be heard boasting to a business associate about having "tens and tens and tens and tens of millions" of dollars put away for projects in the electorate, and in another pushing Ms Berejiklian to promise a stadium for Wagga Wagga.

"Stuart's talking about putting one Dubbo," he said during the October 2017 phone call.

"F*** them. Wagga's where it's gonna happen.

"Keep listening to me and (Wagga) will be like the blazing star of the southern universe."

Mr Maguire agreed his advocacy for some of the projects was partly motivated by a desire to leave a legacy and boost his popularity in the seat so it would be easier for the next Liberal candidate to win.

Mr Maguire and Ms Berejiklian had previously spoken about him quitting at the 2019 election so they could be together publicly.

But even after Mr Maguire was forced to resign by damaging corruption allegations, he had Ms Berejiklian's ear.

She sought his advice on potential by-election announcements.

The pair can be heard talking about his top three funding suggestions in the phone taps played to the inquiry, which include a grant for the conservatorium.

"You just throw money at Wagga," Mr Maguire says during the phone call on July 30, 2018.

"I'll throw money at Wagga, don't you worry about that," Ms Berejiklian replied.

The pair also discuss the "bureaucrats" opposition to a stadium in the regional town.

"I can overrule them," Ms Berejiklian said.

Ms Berejiklian denies any wrongdoing.

© AAP 2021

As NSW vaccination rates continue to improve, health authorities are warning even fully jabbed people can catch the virus after an outbreak at a Sydney gym.

NSW Health's Marianne Gale says everyone needs to remain vigilant by wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and washing their hands - particularly when gathering indoors.

"We are seeing transmission occurring in indoor settings including gyms and household gatherings - including in fully vaccinated people," she said on Thursday.

"You can still get COVID-19 even if you are vaccinated and you can still pass it on to other people," she said.

"Vaccination does lower this risk but it's not 100 per cent foolproof," she said.

NSW Health on Wednesday night issued a COVID alert for City Gym, at Darlinghurst in the inner city, where 15 cases have been confirmed.

The cases involve people who attended the gym while infectious or acquired their infection at the facility, the department said.

People who used the gym at certain times between October 18 and 23 or on the 25th are considered casual contacts and must get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received.

NSW recorded 293 new local cases of COVID-19 and two deaths in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday - 11 fewer new local cases than the previous day.

There are 381 COVID-19 patients in NSW hospitals - down by 37 from the previous day.

There are 82 COVID-19 patients intensive care - 15 fewer than the previous day - of whom 38 require ventilation.

Currently 93.3 per cent of people 16 and older have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 86 per cent of adults are fully jabbed.

In the 12-15 year old age group, 78.5 per cent have had their first dose and 54.8 per cent are fully vaccinated.

The death toll from the current outbreak, which began in mid-June, is 508.

A fully vaccinated woman in her 90s died at the Tarrawanna aged care facility, north of Wollongong, where she acquired her infection.

A man in his 70s from southwest Sydney died at St George Hospital. He had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The cluster in the Hunter New England Local Health District continues to grow with 79 new cases taking the number of active cases there to 1089.

There were 51 cases in southwest Sydney and another 30 in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District which includes the town of Albury on the Victorian border.

NSW Health's ongoing sewage surveillance program has detected fragments of the virus in samples collected from across NSW, including Barraba, Moree and Uralla.

The highly anticipated move to unfettered travel to the regions is due to start on Monday after being delayed over lower vaccination rates outside Sydney.

© AAP 2021

Gladys Berejiklian's former partner Daryl Maguire says they loved each other, contemplated marriage and discussed having a child, as NSW's corruption watchdog investigates whether their secret relationship breached public trust.

The former NSW Liberal MP was the one originally under the microscope when the Independent Commission Against Corruption launched public hearings into his business dealings last year.

But when Ms Berejiklian last year sensationally revealed their clandestine relationship, it sparked a separate investigation into her own conduct, which resulted in her resigning as premier on October 1.

ICAC is investigating whether she breached the public's trust when she failed to disclose the relationship as she dealt with projects Mr Maguire was pushing for his Wagga Wagga electorate.

Under questioning from counsel assisting the commission Scott Robertson, Mr Maguire said the pair were in a relationship, which became physically intimate, between 2015 and 2018.

The pair holidayed together and he had a key to Ms Berejiklian's home, which he never returned.

They contemplated marriage and discussed having a child together, he said on Thursday.

"You loved her?" Mr Robertson asked.

"Yes," Mr Maguire replied.

"So far as you can ascertain, she loved you as well?

"Yes.

"We had our moments but yes."

Ms Berejiklian last year told the ICAC inquiry the pair's relationship was not of "sufficient status" to disclose to anyone.

It comes after Ms Berejiklian lost her bid to have ICAC hear details of the relationship in private.

"There is no public purpose served by plumbing the depths of the private life of my client," Ms Berejiklian's lawyer Sophie Callan SC said.

"Doing so in public will inevitably lead to intense and irremediable publicity and public scrutiny along with humiliation and harm."

Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl denied the request, saying the matter was in the public interest.

The evidence at the inquiry has focused on two grants given to pet projects of Mr Maguire's - a $5.5 million upgrade to the Wagga Wagga Clay Target Club and a $20.5 million plan to build a recital hall for the Riverina Conservatorium of Music.

A number of witnesses have said Mr Maguire was a forceful advocate for the projects.

Mr Maguire on Thursday agreed he had been a "serial pest" to several ministers, including Stuart Ayres who was sports minister, Ms Berejiklian as treasurer, and then-premier Mike Baird.

"I think the term was 'a pain in the arse', yes," he said, referencing evidence given by former deputy premier John Barilaro on Monday.

He conceded he had greater access to Ms Berejiklian than other MPs as a result of their relationship, and in their private life had "encouraged" her to take a close interest in the projects.

He was shown an email sent to Ms Berejiklian in March 2017 - weeks before she became premier - in which he said delays to one of his pet projects was "typical of our bullshit government".

He denied he explicitly asked his partner to intervene but conceded he would sometimes communicate with her in the hope she would.

The inquiry earlier on Thursday heard Mr Maguire had abused another friendship with a different MP by seeking privileged information then passing it on to a business associate.

It also heard Mr Maguire proposed a way for the Riverina Conservatorium of Music to circumvent the government's hesitancy to contribute to an upgrade that would give it commercial benefits.

"Is that part of the story with the Clay Target Association as well - let's build a facility or clubhouse that may well be bigger than absolutely necessary with a view to having a revenue stream for that organisation?", Mr Robertson asked.

"Well, they all need revenue streams," Mr Maguire said.

In another telephone recording played to the inquiry, Mr Maguire can also be heard boasting about having "tens and tens and tens and tens of millions" of dollars put away, which could be used for the Riverina Conservatorium of Music project.

Ms Berejiklian denies any wrongdoing in relation to the grants or her failure to disclose the relationship.

© AAP 2021