Received

Supportive constituents of Gladys Berejiklian have left flowers outside her home and office after her shock resignation amid a probe by the state's corruption watchdog.

People gathered outside her home with flowers and balloons in her initials while others stood outside her office with handmade signs reading "we love Gladys" and "long live Gladys" hours after Ms Berejiklian's shock resignation.

On Friday morning she announced her resignation as premier after the Independent Commission Against Corruption said she was under investigation for potential breaches of public trust.

Ms Berejiklian will also resign from NSW parliament as soon as a by-election for her north Sydney seat of Willoughby can be held.

She will remain premier until the Liberal Party elects its new leader, with Treasurer Dominic Perrottet considered a frontrunner.

Mr Perrottet said on Friday he would speak with his family and colleagues over the coming days on "how I can best serve the people of NSW".

He said Ms Berejiklian was among NSW's finest ever premiers.

Planning Minister and Pittwater member Rob Stokes is set to throw his hat into the ring and has been described as a key ally of Ms Berejiklian.

So has Environment Minister Matt Kean, who was with her when she announced her resignation and is believed to be another contender.

Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres is also in the mix, and if he were to become party leader the 40-year-old would be the first from an area outside of Sydney's north and east in almost two decades.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance and Attorney-General Mark Speakman have also been spoken of as possible contenders.

Ms Berejiklian weathered bushfires, drought and storms and navigated COVID-19, but after four-and-a-half years in the top job, she couldn't beat ICAC.

The anti-corruption watchdog says it is investigating whether Ms Berejiklian "exercised public functions" in a position of conflict given her secret five-year relationship with ex-MP Daryl Maguire, revealed at ICAC hearings in late 2020.

Mr Maguire is accused of abusing his public office between 2012 and 2018.

A wearied Ms Berejiklian said on Friday she had "no option" other than to resign, as she could not temporarily step aside and resume her role after the investigation.

"The people of NSW need certainty as to who their leader is during these challenging times of the pandemic ... I cannot predict how long it will take the ICAC to complete this investigation, let alone deliver a report."

She also said her resignation "could not happen at a worse time," as the state prepared to leave months of COVID-enforced lockdowns in less than two weeks.

The 51-year-old continues to deny any wrongdoing.

"History will demonstrate that I have always executed my duties with the highest degree of integrity for the benefit of the people of NSW, who I have had the privilege to serve," she said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison lauded the "heroic" qualities of Ms Berejiklian, saying she was a "dear friend" and trusted by the community.

© AAP 2021

Australians will soon be able to freely travel overseas and fully vaccinated people allowed to quarantine in homes for a week.

Tough border measures preventing people from leaving Australia without approval will be scrapped when 80 per cent double-dose vaccination coverage for people aged 16 and over is reached.

A shift from hotels to home quarantine will be the trigger for a major overhaul of international travel, with the new system expected to start in November.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the time had come to give Australians back their lives.

"I want us to get moving. I want people to be able to come home," he told reporters in Canberra.

"I want that incentive to be there that says 'let's get vaccinated, let's open up'."

Fully immunised Australians will be allowed to quarantine in homes for a week provided they have received approved vaccines.

That will include AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, along with China's Sinovac and Covishield produced in India.

Unvaccinated people or those without approved jabs will require two weeks' managed isolation in hotels or dedicated facilities.

People who cannot be immunised including those under 12 or with a medical condition will be treated as vaccinated.

States and territories will access the new freedoms at different times with vaccination coverage and home quarantine programs varying across jurisdictions.

NSW is expected to be first cab off the rank with that state's government keen to welcome home some of the 45,000 Australians stranded abroad.

In coming weeks, Australians will be able to access internationally proof of vaccination certificates which include a QR code.

The federal government will offer to facilitate flights into any state or territory that agrees to start seven-day home quarantine trials for returning Australians.

"It's time to give Australians their lives back," Mr Morrison said.

"We've saved lives. We've saved livelihoods, but we must work together to ensure that Australians can reclaim the lives that they once had in this country."

Qantas has brought forward restarting international flights to November 14.

The national carrier will operate three weekly return flights between Sydney and London and the same number between Sydney and Los Angeles.

But West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said on Friday that his state would be open to international travel "some time next year" with a date set once the state vaccination rate was between 80 and 90 per cent.

He rejected the idea that returning travellers could undertake a week of home quarantine, saying that was not endorsed by public health authorities.

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said the government needed to start delivering for stranded Australians rather than focusing on more announcements.

"Mr Morrison has failed on borders because he failed to establish purpose-built quarantine," he said.

Testing is expected to remain a requirement of international travel with rapid antigen checks likely to form part of the regime.

The government is also working towards quarantine-free travel with countries like New Zealand when health advice deems it safe.

The prime minister believes the isolation period for fully vaccinated people could be further cut in the future.

Mr Morrison said recognising Sinovac and Covishield would be important in allowing Australians and international students in from countries where the vaccines were used.

More than 55 per cent of Australians over 16 have been fully vaccinated, while 78.5 per cent have received at least one dose.

NSW recorded 15 deaths and 864 new cases, while there were 1143 infections and three deaths in Victoria.

The ACT detected a record 52 new cases, along with two deaths.

© AAP 2021

NSW will soon have a new premier, after Gladys Berejiklian navigated bushfires, drought, storms and COVID-19, but couldn't beat a taxpayer-funded corruption inquiry.

She has resigned as premier and will stand down from parliament after NSW's Independent Commission Against Corruption announced she was under investigation.

Ms Berejiklian's stunning decision to quit on Friday came soon after ICAC revealed it was looking into potential breaches of public trust.

After four-and-a-half years in the top job, she will resign from NSW parliament as soon as a by-election for her north Sydney seat of Willoughby can be held.

The anti-corruption watchdog says it is investigating whether Ms Berejiklian "exercised public functions" in a position of conflict given her secret five-year relationship with ex-MP Daryl Maguire, revealed at ICAC hearings in late 2020.

A wearied Ms Berejiklian said she had "no option" other than to resign, as she could not temporarily step aside and resume her role after the investigation.

The premier said the people of NSW needed certainty regarding who their leader was during these challenging times.

"I cannot predict how long it will take the ICAC to complete this investigation, let alone deliver a report."

She also said her resignation "could not happen at a worse time", as the state prepared to leave COVID-enforced lockdowns in the coming weeks.

However, the 51-year-old again denied any wrongdoing.

"History will demonstrate that I have always executed my duties with the highest degree of integrity for the benefit of the people of NSW, who I have had the privilege to serve," Ms Berejiklian told reporters.

She will remain premier until the Liberal Party elects a new leader, with Treasurer Dominic Perrottet considered a frontrunner.

Mr Perrottet said he would speak with his family and colleagues over the coming days on "how I can best serve the people of NSW".

He said Ms Berejiklian was among NSW's finest premiers.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes will also reportedly seek the leadership, while Environment Minister Matt Kean and Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres are also considered contenders.

An ICAC public inquiry on the Berejiklian matter will be held for about 10 days from October 18, overseen by Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl SC.

ICAC said Ms Berejiklian would be investigated over grant funding to the Australian Clay Target Association in 2016/17 and grant funding to the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in Wagga Wagga in 2018.

It plans to look into whether Ms Berejiklian's relationship with Mr Maguire, then the Wagga Wagga MP, affected those arrangements and constituted a breach of public trust or partial exercise of official functions.

ICAC will also investigate whether Ms Berejiklian should have "suspected on reasonable grounds" that Mr Maguire may have engaged in corrupt conduct, and thus failed to report him to ICAC as required.

It will look into whether she "was liable to allow or encourage" his conduct.

Mr Maguire is accused of abusing his public office between 2012 and 2018.

The former state MP is alleged to have used his public office and parliamentary resources to improperly gain a benefit for himself or for G8way International, a company he allegedly "effectively controlled".

Mr Maguire quit the government in 2018 after a separate ICAC inquiry heard evidence he sought payments to help broker deals for property developers.

Opposition Leader Chris Minns said he "never doubted Gladys' dedication to NSW" but called on the coalition government to remain focused on the health and economic fallout of the current COVID-19 outbreak.

"The focus must be to work on behalf of the people of NSW first and foremost, even in the midst of a leadership contest," Mr Minns said.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said Ms Berejiklian's replacement was a matter for the Liberal Party, but thanked the premier for her service amid the 2019-20 bushfire season and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison also lauded the "heroic" qualities of Ms Berejiklian, saying she was a dear friend trusted by the community.

© AAP 2021