Former premier Gladys Berejiklian lied about the extent of her secret relationship with fellow MP Daryl Maguire, her top staffer has conceded to the state's corruption watchdog.

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating whether Ms Berejiklian breached public trust when she supported projects championed by her secret boyfriend, the former Wagga Wagga MP Mr Maguire.

Of the three senior staffers who gave evidence at the inquiry on Tuesday, former chief of staff Sarah Cruickshank was the only one who knew the pair had been in a relationship before it was was revealed in the course of an ICAC investigation into Mr Maguire last year.

Ms Cruickshank told the inquiry Ms Berejiklian called her on the day Mr Maguire became embroiled in corruption allegations in July 2018, but that the premier said the relationship was "historical".

Before Ms Cruickshank could ask any questions, Ms Berejiklian said "it was over before I became premier".

The premier was "categorically clear" on that point and repeated it a couple of times, Ms Cruickshank said.

"I left the conversation with the impression that it was more than just a few dinners, but... I didn't get the sense it was a full blown, intense relationship."

The ICAC has since established the relationship spanned several years. Ms Berejiklian only severed contact with Mr Maguire a month before the pair was outed in October 2020.

As she thought the relationship had ended some time ago, Ms Cruickshank said she and Ms Berejiklian did not discuss whether it needed to be disclosed given the controversy surrounding Mr Maguire.

She would have responded differently had she known the relationship extended into Ms Berejiklian's tenure as premier.

"I would have sat down with her and gone through whether or not there were implications for things that she had done... for optical reasons, not because I thought there ever was a conflict of interest."

Her reaction would have been different again if she realised the relationship was ongoing at the time Mr Maguire resigned.

During private compulsory examinations before the public hearings, Ms Cruickshank said she would have said: "How on earth can we have a by-election if you're dating the fellow who's had to stand aside?"

"She lied to you," Commissioner Ruth McColl put to Ms Cruickshank.

"That's your words, commissioner," she replied.

"Is there any other description of it than a lie?

"No, there probably isn't."

Ms Cruickshank twice rejected the possibility she misunderstood what Ms Berejiklian said about the timeframe of the relationship.

Nonetheless she said she was surprised to be appearing before a probe into Ms Berejiklian's conduct.

"My experience has been that she is very, very upfront and very much full of integrity," Ms Cruickshank said under cross examination by Ms Berejiklian's lawyer.

"Each of the issues that I've been asked about related to (the grants)... I don't remember the premier ever saying anything to me about it.

"What crosses my mind is a lesser person would have asked me to look at those things ... but she didn't."

Two other staffers - former strategy director Brad Burden and former chief of staff Neil Harley - earlier on Tuesday gave evidence that advice would have been sought about how Ms Berejiklian could manage a conflict of interest if they had know about her relationship with Mr Maguire.

But both men were also adamant she always behaved in a "principled fashion" and was a "stickler" for the rules.

She never treated Mr Maguire or his electorate any differently, they agreed.

"I have never, ever, in my time in politics, known a person more fiercely committed to public service, and serving the people of the state than Ms Berejiklian," Mr Harley said.

Ms Berejiklian resigned as premier on October 1 after ICAC announced it would hold two weeks of public hearings into her conduct. She denies any wrongdoing.

© AAP 2021

Queensland has recorded two new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, while a truck driver has tested positive interstate after being infectious in the Sunshine State.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the two local cases emerged after 8779 tests in the 24 hours to 6.30am on Tuesday.

One is an unvaccinated 17-year-old boy who tested positive after presenting at an emergency department on the Gold Coast with a headache.

He's a household contact of a woman who recently travelled to Queensland from NSW, with police investigating how she entered the state.

The second case is a woman in her 30s who was in home quarantine after travelling from Melbourne.

The premier says a Gympie truck driver also tested positive in NSW after being in Bundaberg and Caboolture while infectious.

"Today's cases show Queensland is not immune to the pandemic," Ms Palaszczuk told parliament on Tuesday.

"We have contained dozens of outbreaks but, as NSW, Victoria, the ACT and New Zealand have discovered ... it only takes one case to cause a massive outbreak. Our only protection is to get vaccinated."

Queensland Health has listed Fresh Fields FoodWorks Thabeban in Bundaberg and the male toilets at Caboolture South Travel Centre as exposure sites for Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, Queensland's vaccine co-ordinator has warned regional centres and Indigenous communities will face COVID-19 restrictions if they do not reach an 80 per cent vaccination rate by the time the borders reopen.

The state will scrap quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers who test negative when 80 per cent of eligible Queenslanders have had both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, or by December 17 at the latest.

Commonwealth figures on Monday showed 75.2 per cent of eligible Queenslanders had received one dose of a vaccine and 60.7 per cent were fully vaccinated.

Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner and Vaccine Co-ordinator Shane Chelepy believes the state will hit the 80 per cent target by December 17, but says some areas are struggling to get there.

Commonwealth vaccination figures show that only 31.7 per cent of eligible residents in the Isaac Region in central Queensland have been fully vaccinated, while 48.2 per cent have had one dose.

In the Indigenous community of Cherbourg, in the southeast, 25.7 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated and 33.7 per cent have had one jab.

Mr Chelepy warned individual local government areas will face future COVID-19 restrictions, including lockdowns, if they do not get to 80 per cent before the Queensland borders open.

"The premier and the chief health officer has been clear on this - the areas that don't reach 80 per cent, if we have an outbreak in those areas, restrictions will need to be applied," he said.

The state is planning to scrap quarantine for international arrivals when 90 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated, but it has unveiled a plan to bring international students back before first term in 2022.

Under the plan up to 250 students will be able to fly in and quarantine at a facility being built by the state at Wellcamp, near Toowoomba.

Students studying medical research and allied health degrees will be prioritised, so they can potentially back up the state's health system after it reopens the borders.

© AAP 2021

The 12 million-plus COVID-19 vaccines that have gone into arms in NSW appear to be helping keep a lid on an expected surge in new infections and hospitalisations as the state opens up.

Deputy Chief Health Officer Jeremy McAnulty says the 12,072,248 COVID jabs that have been administered so far is "an extraordinary effort".

"I thank everyone for coming forward to help protect ourselves and the communities from COVID by getting vaccinated," he said on Tuesday.

NSW recorded 282 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and one death, two weeks after people began enjoying more freedoms after coming out of lockdown.

Health authorities had predicted cases numbers would surge again this week - two weeks after people started mingling as restrictions eased.

However, it's a case of so good so far, as there were 12 fewer cases recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday, from the previous day.

And the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has dropped to 457 - 17 fewer than the previous day.

There are 109 COVID-19 patients now in intensive care (down seven) and 57 people are ventilated.

Dr McAnulty said of the 109 people in ICU, 86 are not vaccinated, 17 had received one jab and six were fully vaccinated.

Despite the proven protection of being vaccinated he urged everyone to "remain vigilant as we open up to the community".

"Even if you're fully vaccinated it's important to remain vigilant to those (COVID) symptoms," he said.

Since restrictions were eased there had been some transmissions at indoor sites such as bars and gyms, he said.

Masks remained "really important to stop the spread in addition to vaccination".

Modelling commissioned by the state government predicted increasing case numbers in Sydney would put the hospital system under unprecedented stress in October.

However, it's now hoped that better-than-expected vaccination rates will avert that scenario.

Premier Dominic Perrottet this week urged caution about the downward trend in case numbers, saying "this pandemic is not over".

The one new death - down from four the previous day - was an unvaccinated man in his 80s from Wollongong, taking the death toll for this outbreak to 503.

Now 93.2 per cent of people 16 and over have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 85.5 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated.

In the 12-15-year-old age group, 78 per cent have had their first dose and 53 per cent are fully vaccinated.

The majority of COVID-19 cases are now being diagnosed in the regions and smaller cities rather than in Sydney, where the Delta outbreak first took hold in June.

With 49 new cases, the Hunter New England Local Health District once again recorded the most number of cases in the state, closely followed by the Murrumbidgee Local Health District, which had 45 - due to its close proximity to Victoria where the virus is raging.

There were 33 new cases on the mid-north coast, followed by 30 in western Sydney.

© AAP 2021

South Australia will remove domestic border restrictions from November 23 for travellers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Quarantine periods for overseas arrivals will be reduced from 14 days to seven from that date, while the cap on home gatherings will rise from 20 people to 30.

Authorities are expecting 80 per cent of South Australian adults to be fully vaccinated by November 23.

Other internal restrictions will remain in place but most are expected to be removed before Christmas as SA eyes a return to relative normality.

"There has to be some reward for the sacrifices that individuals and businesses have made, and today it is with great pride I announce our COVID-ready plan for South Australia," Premier Steven Marshall told reporters on Tuesday.

"I know this will be a huge relief for so many South Australians who are wanting to get back to normality as soon as possible."

People arriving from interstate after November 23 will still be required to quarantine if they are arriving from local government areas that are experiencing an outbreak or where the full vaccination rate is below 80 per cent.

Further restrictions will be eased once 90 per cent of the population aged 12 and over has been double-jabbed.

That is expected to be achieved before Christmas, allowing quarantine to be scrapped for fully vaccinated overseas and domestic arrivals.

Contact tracing and testing requirements will remain in place for the foreseeable future, as will the use of face masks in indoor public settings.

Almost 80 per cent of South Australians have received their first dose, while the full vaccination rate is at 63 per cent.

There will be no requirement for all individual local government areas to achieve the 80 per cent full vaccination rate by November 23, but Mr Marshall said authorities would redouble their efforts in areas that were lagging.

"I think there will be a big surge now in the vaccination rate," he said.

"The health experts are now telling us that vaccination is our pathway out."

Internal restrictions will remain in place until SA reaches 90 per cent vaccination, including going to nightclubs and stand-up alcohol consumption.

"We haven't landed on the specifics of post-90 per cent but the prospects are excellent that there'll be very limited restrictions, if any," Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said.

Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier expected the roadmap to provide a strong incentive to get vaccinated for anyone who was wavering.

"This is a clear message that you don't have time to wait," she said.

Anyone who becomes infected between the 80 per cent and 90 per cent thresholds will still need to isolate, along with their close contacts.

Mr Marshall said his government was still pulling together modelling around the reopening of borders but intended to release it at a later date.

© AAP 2021