The Grand Illusion of Political Renewal

Political renewal is a lofty concept, often reduced in practice to the grubby mechanics of branch stacking. The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption has opened its Operation Rosny hearings, offering a masterclass in how ideological crusades devolve into mundane financial scandals. At the centre is a cadre of young conservative operatives who styled themselves the 'Reformers'. Their ambition was to recruit a small army of Christian conservatives to seize control of the state’s Liberal party apparatus.

These operatives enjoyed the patronage of senior party figures. Heavyweights including former prime minister Tony Abbott and broadcaster Alan Jones were drafted as speakers for recruitment drives, lending intellectual authority to the enterprise. Neither Abbott nor Jones is accused of wrongdoing. The actual mechanics relied on less elevated methods. Branch stacking itself is not corrupt under local rules, but financing it with prohibited corporate donations crosses a legal threshold.

The financial architecture allegedly supporting this renaissance was remarkably crude. Lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood and former political staffer Christian Ellis set up consulting firms that purportedly served as conduits for illegal funds. Catholic Schools NSW became an early client. Dallas McInerney, the chief executive, allegedly arranged for substantial retainers to be paid for services the commission suspects were fictitious. McInerney has since offered to step aside, issuing a public statement indicating his desire to protect the educational body's mission.

Further financial lubrication came from Michael O’Hara, a prohibited donor. O’Hara admitted to paying for non-existent strategic wealth advice. His motivation was to inject his conservative values into a party he felt had been compromised by progressive tendencies, pointing specifically to former premier Dominic Perrottet.

Ideology quickly gave way to transactional politics. The inquiry is examining a proposed two-million-dollar arrangement involving fugitive property developer Jean Nassif. Operatives, including another of the former premier's brothers, Charles Perrottet, allegedly anticipated a massive payout for delivering political favours. These included the removal of a building commissioner and the abolition of a rival politician's electoral seat. Nassif, currently in Lebanon, was recorded boasting about forcing electoral boundaries to be redrawn.

Intercepted communications reveal Greenwood reminding Jean-Claude Perrottet about the illicit school funds he was supposedly providing. When Perrottet warned against putting such admissions in writing, Greenwood confidently replied that the messages would automatically delete. They did not.

Faced with scrutiny, the reformers scattered. Jean-Claude Perrottet took a financially assisted trip to Fiji, Charles Perrottet remained in Victoria to dodge process servers, and Ellis relocated to the United Kingdom, citing inconvenient time zones as a reason for his inability to testify. The inquiry will also examine allegations of blackmail involving Labor councillors in Strathfield, proving that the appetite for municipal malfeasance remains thoroughly bipartisan.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com