A high-stakes public inquiry has exposed a web of backroom political deals, covert financial arrangements, and bitter factional warfare within the New South Wales Liberal Party. Codenamed Operation Rosny, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is examining the relationship between fugitive property developer Jean Nassif, conservative party operatives, and alleged systemic breaches of state electoral laws.

The blockbuster public hearings have pulled back the curtain on the inner workings of the party's right-wing factions, revealing intercepted phone calls, dubious consulting invoices, and secret lobbying efforts that have sent shockwaves through both state and federal political ranks.

The Wiretaps: A Developer’s Boasts and a $100,000 Offer

Some of the most damaging evidence presented to the commission came in the form of intercepted phone taps featuring fugitive developer Jean Nassif. In one June 2021 recording played to the inquiry, Nassif could be heard offering $100,000 to support the Liberal preselection of one of the brothers of former NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. During the call with Jean-Claude Perrottet, Nassif suggested the funds could be funneled to either the Perrottet family or Liberal lobbyists Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis.

While Dominic Perrottet—who originally referred the allegations to ICAC in 2022—is not accused of any wrongdoing, the commission is actively investigating whether his brothers, Jean-Claude and Charles, were involved in orchestrating illegal donations from Nassif for branch-stacking operations.

The intercepts also revealed Nassif boasting of his alleged extraordinary influence over ministerial appointments. In a September 2021 call, Nassif confidently predicted that Eleni Petinos would replace Kevin Anderson as Fair Trading Minister, famously declaring, "she’s gonna be my girl." Two months later, Petinos was indeed elevated to the cabinet portfolio. Additionally, Nassif was caught boasting to associates that the party's right-wing faction had crowned him their "Godfather." Petinos has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

The 'NSW Reformers' and 'Filthy' Educational Funds

At the center of the inquiry is a conservative Christian faction known as the NSW Reformers, founded in 2018 by Christian Ellis and Robert Assaf. Counsel assisting the commission are investigating whether the group systematically solicited money from prohibited donors and disguised these political contributions through sham invoices and consulting retainers.

Of particular concern are allegations that Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW) and hotelier Michael O'Hara, a prohibited donor, paid consulting fees for work that was never performed. Text messages presented to the commission showed lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood joking with Jean-Claude Perrottet about receiving "filthy schools' money," to which Perrottet quickly replied, "Don't put that in writing."

Further testimony from former Reformers member Dylan Whitelaw alleged that factional operatives regularly conducted Liberal party business during paid working hours at CSNSW. Whitelaw claimed it was a running joke that senior figures spent more time on factional battles than their actual day jobs, allegedly with the knowledge of CSNSW Chief Executive Dallas McInerney, who has since stood aside pending the investigation.

Federal Fallout: The Taylor 'Shakedown' Claims

The controversy has also reached the federal stage, with senior Reformers members allegedly discussing strategies to extract financial backing from Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor. The inquiry was shown internal group chat screenshots in which McInerney suggested they "shake down Angus for 10k" to fund the faction's operations.

Further messages from Whitelaw claimed that McInerney had successfully secured a $15,000 one-off payment and ongoing monthly donations from Taylor. Taylor has vehemently denied the allegations, stating repeatedly that no such payments were ever made and refusing to offer a "running commentary" on the active inquiry.

Leaks and Leadership Headaches

The ongoing revelations have created a massive political headache for NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane as she prepares to lead her party into the next state election. The fallout has already claimed high-profile casualties; former Liberal frontbencher Damien Tudehope resigned his post after admitting to leaking a confidential draft parliamentary report to a key witness in the inquiry.

Similarly, shadow frontbencher Chris Rath was forced to apologize to parliament following revelations that he had tipped off a Reformers member. Both politicians have been referred to the state parliament's privileges committee. Commenting on the breaches, Sloane stated that the leaking of confidential parliamentary reports represented a standard of conduct she simply does not accept.