Many viewers of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) hearings in Sydney have praised the forensic questioning of counsel assisting the inquiry, Peggy Dwyer SC. In her July opening remarks she highlighted the role of electoral donation laws, warning that money can corrupt politics. Ten weeks later, the public hearings for Operation Rosny concluded without the dramatic resignations that had been expected, leaving some observers disappointed.
The case centred on allegations that senior New South Wales Liberal politicians had supported the branch‑stacking efforts of a faction of young conservative Christians called the Reformers. Icac investigated whether the Reformers had taken prohibited or undeclared donations, including a $2 million sum from property developer Jean Nassif, to support branch stacking and influence the party’s policy agenda on abortion, euthanasia, marriage equality and climate change. The inquiry also examined claims that factional payments might be legitimate lobbying or consulting work rather than political donations.
The hearings featured a dramatic video appearance by Nassif from his Beirut bedroom, where he denied corruption accusations and threatened to avoid returning to Australia to escape alleged mafia threats. Anthony Whealy KC, chair of the Centre for Public Integrity, described the session as a “theatre of the absurd” and warned that most of Nassif’s evidence would likely be excluded. Whealy emphasised that the inquiry’s success would be measured by definitive rulings on what constitutes a political donation, not by resignations.
Other fallout included the dismissal of Dallas McInerney, chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW, after admitting he had erased evidence on his phone, and the removal of a senior Liberal from a chief executive role following a “shake‑down” message. While former premier Dominic Perrottet was not named as a person of interest, his name appeared in messages and phone taps, though the presiding commissioner confirmed his status as non‑involved. The hearings underscore the ongoing scrutiny of branch stacking and the influence of the Reformers within the NSW Liberal Party.
