Senior figures in the New South Wales Liberal party are said to have backed a group of younger conservative operators who were attempting to reshape the party’s direction, according to evidence heard by the state’s corruption watchdog.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption opened its Operation Rosny hearings on Monday, focusing on allegations involving people linked to the NSW Liberal party. The inquiry is examining three claims, including that Liberal figures solicited or accepted donations — some allegedly from prohibited donors — in amounts that were either undeclared or above donation caps, in connection with efforts to recruit and renew party members. That practice is commonly known as branch stacking.
The ‘Reformers’ and their recruitment drive
In her opening statement, counsel assisting the commission, Peggy Dwyer SC, identified a core group of young Liberal staffers and lobbyists who described themselves as the “Reformers”. She named lobbyist Christian Ellis, consultant Robert Assaf and Jean-Claude Perrottet, the younger brother of former premier Dominic Perrottet, as part of that group. Another Liberal lobbyist, Jeremy Greenwood, is alleged to have helped channel funds to support their work.
Dwyer told the commission that evidence would show several senior NSW Liberal politicians supported the Reformers, including by appearing at their events or otherwise helping their branch recruitment and renewal efforts. The group reportedly held recruitment functions featuring former prime minister Tony Abbott, broadcaster Alan Jones and Catholic Schools NSW chief executive Dallas McInerney, with discussions centred on conservative and religious themes. A document created when Ellis worked in the office of federal Nationals senator Matt Canavan allegedly described the Reformers’ mission as “taking back our nation through good government” and proposed recruiting 5,000 Christian conservatives to join NSW Liberal branches and ultimately take control of the party’s state division.
The commission is also looking at whether companies linked to Greenwood and Ellis were used to collect funds for the branch-stacking effort after the pair’s work with Canavan’s office ended. Those companies include former registered lobbying firm Beckington and Greenwood’s current lobbying business, JPG Advisory. Dwyer said the alleged donations included money from hotelier Michael O’Hara’s company Paslibdan Pty Ltd, as well as payments from Catholic Schools NSW arranged and approved by McInerney. Catholic Schools NSW later became Beckington’s first client, and the commission was told that retainers paid to Beckington over two years, totalling $130,900, were allegedly a sham because no substantive services were provided. Catholic Schools NSW then moved to JPG Advisory and paid a total of $135,000 between 2021 and 2023. Abbott, Jones and Canavan are not accused of wrongdoing.
Source: theguardian.com
