The long-time chief executive of NSW\u2019s peak body for Catholic schools has denied wanting to \u201cshake down\u201d Angus Taylor to fund a secretive, conservative NSW Liberal Party faction, an anti-corruption inquiry has been told. <\/p>\n
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is holding public hearings into allegations a group within the NSW Liberal Party \u2013 known as the Reformers \u2013 accepted prohibited donations, including from fugitive property developer Jean Nassif and Catholic Schools NSW through chief executive Dallas McInerney \u201cin amounts that were not declared and exceeded applicable donation caps\u201d.<\/p>\n
Taking the stand on Thursday, Mr McInerney denied wanting $10,000 from the Opposition Leader in a \u201cshakedown\u201d for the Reformers\u2019 work.<\/p>\n
The inquiry was previously shown a message in which Mr McInerney said: \u201cI have breakfast club with ministers this Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho could I get an update from \u2026 I want to shake down Angus for $10K.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response, Mr McInerney said \u201cI was going to approach Angus for support for upcoming internal elections and what could be directed to our candidates in the key seats.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney said the money was independent of the work of the Reformers and would have gone to \u201cwhoever was subsequently put in place to run the campaign on behalf of the faction\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what do you need the money for, Mr McInerney?\u201d counsel assisting Juliet Curtin asked.<\/p>\n
He replied: \u201cThe money would be to support the upcoming internal elections and the campaign for those internal elections.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney defended using the term \u201cshakedown\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you agree that shakedown is nomenclature that is of a perhaps pejorative in tone?\u201d Ms Curtin asked Mr McInerney. <\/p>\n
He replied: \u201cIt wasn\u2019t intended as such \u2026 it\u2019s a turn of phrase.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Taylor is not named in the probe and is not accused of any wrongdoing. He has denied giving any money to the Reformers. <\/p>\n
Pressed on where money for the Reformers to be discussed in a message was originating, Mr McInerney said he \u201csimply can\u2019t remember\u201d. <\/p>\n
Mr McInerney was also pressed on a message from former Catholic Schools NSW employee Dylan Whitelaw in which he informed Reformers members that Mr McInerney had secured a $15,000 \u201cinjection\u201d for the group from Mr Taylor plus regular $3000 donations following breakfast meeting with ministers. <\/p>\n
Noting the message was not from himself, Mr McInerney said \u201cthe only explanation \u2026 is that I did emerge from that meeting with an in-principle support\u201d.<\/p>\n
The funds would go to \u201cthe internal elections for the conservative faction, which were upcoming\u201d and \u201cto our candidates in the key marginal seats\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney said he was not aware of the motivation of Mr Whitelaw \u2013 who is only a witness in the probe and not accused of any wrongdoing \u2013 in making the claim about Mr Taylor\u2019s pledge as opposed to \u201cin-principle support\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe boasted. He lied,\u201d Mr McInerney suggested.<\/p>\n
Ms Curtin replied: \u201cHe boasted? Why would he be doing that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t go to his motivations. What I can help you with is confirming that is not the commitment that came out of that meeting\u201d. <\/p>\n
Mr McInerney denied the meeting was about funding for the Reformers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would not go to a meeting of cabinet ministers representing across the state just to talk about the Reformers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said the only person from whom he remembered securing a pledge was former Liberal Party vice-president Teena McQueen.<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney later said he was \u201cnever an intermediary for cash\u201d. <\/p>\n
He also denied going back to Mr Taylor following the meeting.<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney told the commission members of RELM, a leadership body within the NSW Liberal Party that included Mr Taylor, asked him to find out more about the Reformers\u2019 work.<\/p>\n
\u201cMembers of RELM would be keen to get a better understanding of the Reformers\u2019 work, and might there be an opportunity for the Reformers to provide that information to RELM,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney said membership of the group was \u201cfluid and often in flux\u201d and at times included Ms McQueen, Christian Ellis and others.<\/p>\n
Questions for premier<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney was questioned about the early days of the relationship between lobbyist firm Beckington Pty Ltd, set up by Mr Ellis and another Reformer Jeremy Greenwood, and its first client, Catholic Schools NSW.<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney said he had sought \u201cexternal sounding\u201d from former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet about the outfit as part of his \u201cdue diligence\u201d. Mr Perrottet is not named in the probe and is not accused of any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n
Asked the nature of that conversation, Mr McInerney said: \u201cEssentially, would this company be an outfit which would have the respect and entree into the government? Are there any showstoppers or watch-outs which you want me to isolate would be nature of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney denied he personally assisted Mr Greenwood and Mr Ellis in Catholic Schools NSW becoming Beckington\u2019s first client in 2019.<\/p>\n
Ms Curtin put to Mr McInerney that he was helping Beckington \u201cwho, incidentally, didn\u2019t even actually exist at this point in time\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I want to suggest to you, Mr McInerney, is that what we\u2019re seeing here is not a competitive tender process,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr Ellis pitched you a proposal \u2026 you want to help him get across the line because he was a young conservative member of the Liberal Party who was involved in recruitment at the Liberal Party, and you were willing to dig into your government relations budget to help their cause?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney replied: \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, he denied Mr Perrottet informed him of Mr Ellis\u2019 termination from the office of NSW Liberal upper house leader Damien Tudehope, who is not named in the probe but gave evidence last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The inquiry was previously told Mr Ellis was terminated because of factional work he undertook in the electorate of federal Liberal frontbencher Julian Leeser.<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney said Ms McQueen \u2013 who defected this year to One Nation before dying \u2013 had been \u201cexorcised\u201d by the decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she mentioned it quite often for the next three or four years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think she got over it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney said he did not recall a request from Ms McQueen to speak to Mr Tudehope about the situation.<\/p>\n
\u2018Exonerate\u2019 <\/p>\n
Earlier, Mr McInerney told the inquiry he was eager to clear his name.<\/p>\n
\u201cI take it that you\u2019re acutely aware that those allegations involve Catholic Schools NSW, the organisation of which you have been the CEO over some nearly nine years,\u201d counsel assisting Julie Curtin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Mr McInerney replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd, it follows that you must be keen to exonerate yourself, insofar as the allegations may suggest that you were involved in any wrongdoing,\u201d Ms Curtin continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Curtin: \u201cAnd, you\u2019ve got nothing to hide?<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney stepped down as Catholic Schools chief executive after being named in the probe. <\/p>\n
He left the NSW Liberal Party earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The inquiry was told Mr McInerney had at one point considered a run at the Senate. <\/p>\n
It was told Mr Greenwood, who gave evidence earlier in the week, had been asked by Mr McInerney to be on his Senate preselection committee in a bid to pursue a political career.<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney told the inquiry he did not remember the exchange. <\/p>\n
Asked if he had political aspirations, Mr McInerney said it had been \u201coff and on over several years\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey fade, they recede \u2026 opportunities arise, you consider it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
In a message to Mr Greenwood after the death of former senator Jim Molan, Mr McInerney said: \u201cI know I\u2019ve been f**ked, I could have won preselection.\u201d<\/p>\n
He claimed in the message several people had been \u201cdoing anything but Dallas campaign for months\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, it\u2019s f**ked, its f**ked, its f**ked,\u201d Mr McInerney.<\/p>\n
Mr McInerney admitted he was communicating his \u201cdisappointment\u201d to Mr Greenwood.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Mr McInerney told the inquiry he knew Mr Perrottet and his brother Jean-Claude Perrottet, a member of the Reformers, through the NSW Liberal Party.<\/p>\n
He also came to know Mr Taylor, former prime minister Tony Abbott, and Nationals leader Matt Canavan, the hearing was told. <\/p>\n
Reformers probed<\/p>\n
The Reformers were seeking to bolster the number of Christian and conservative members of the NSW Liberal Party through branch stacking, the inquiry was told.<\/p>\n
A manifesto for the group stated that if they were able to recruit 5000 additional members, they could wrestle control of the party. <\/p>\n
The allegations stem from an explosive parliamentary speech by NSW Liberal MP Ray Williams in 2022 in which he alleged branch stacking in the Hills Shire Council linked to Mr Nassif. The matter was the subject of a parliamentary probe many of the Reformers avoided attending. <\/p>\n
Mr Whitelaw alleged much of his work at Catholic Schools NSW was instead for the Reformers, as was that of Mr Ellis.<\/p>\n
Mr Whitelaw, and other Reformers who have given evidence, worked with Beckington.<\/p>\n
The inquiry was previously told the lobbying firm provided fake invoices to long-time hotelier Michael O\u2019Hara, a prohibited donor under electoral laws.<\/p>\n
Mr O\u2019Hara told the inquiry he was not aware of any potential electoral breaches. <\/p>\n
Robert Assaf, who worked for Beckington and Catholic Schools NSW, is also named in the probe and gave evidence to the inquiry last week.<\/p>\n
ICAC does not place charges and instead refers its finding to police. <\/p>\n
None of the people named are accused of any wrongdoing, only that they are named in the probe. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The long-time chief executive of NSW\u2019s peak body for Catholic schools has denied wanting to \u201cshake down\u201d 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