Before her tears, the former Parramatta Council boss appeared steely rather than brittle. She arrived flanked by a legal team conspicuous for their flashes of pink.

Texts from former council boss Gail Connolly reveal she wanted to “get rid of” staff and that the “Pink Ladies play the long game”, the ICAC has heard.

Ex-CEO Gail Connolly pressured a staffer to leave over critical messages and declared she never put her own complaints “in writing”, the inquiry heard.