NSW corruption inquiry into Catholic Schools NSW and Reformers factional donations
Consensus Summary
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is investigating whether Dallas McInerney, former CEO of Catholic Schools NSW, arranged and approved illegal political donations from the governing body of 600 Catholic schools to support the conservative Christian factional group the Reformers. Both the Guardian and ABC report that McInerney admitted to speaking frequently with Reformers members by 2020 and sent a message in March 2021 advising a plan to 'shake down Angus for 10k,' though McInerney denies the money was for the Reformers. The Guardian notes McInerney said the Reformers were 'spectacularly unsuccessful' in their ambitions, while ABC focuses on McInerney’s denial of using funds for factional work. Catholic Schools NSW paid lobbying firms Beckington and JPG Advisory $130,900 and $135,000 respectively, with payments spanning August 2019 to December 2023. McInerney joined the Liberal Party in the late 1980s or early 1990s and remained a member until June this year. The ABC reports McInerney employed Dylan Whitelaw in 2019, who later claimed payments were used for Reformers activities, while McInerney denies this. Angus Taylor denies making any payments, and the ICAC inquiry continues to scrutinize the use of public funding for Catholic schools and potential sham arrangements.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Dallas McInerney was Catholic Schools NSW CEO since its founding in 2017 and stood aside before the ICAC hearings began
- Catholic Schools NSW paid Beckington (run by Christian Ellis and Jeremy Greenwood) $130,900 between August 2019 and August 2021
- Catholic Schools NSW paid JPG Advisory (run by Jeremy Greenwood) $135,000 between December 2021 and December 2023
- McInerney first became aware of Reformers’ recruitment events in late 2018 and 2019
- McInerney joined the Liberal Party in the late 1980s or early 1990s and remained a member until June this year
- McInerney admitted to speaking frequently with Reformers Christian Ellis, Robert Assaf, and Jean-Claude Perrottet by 2020
- McInerney sent a message to Assaf in March 2021 advising a plan to 'shake down Angus for 10k'
- Angus Taylor denies making any payments to the Reformers and has repeatedly denied involvement
- McInerney described Reformers members as having a 'calling' or 'duty' rather than 'passion'
- Jean-Claude Perrottet received 50% of the monthly retainer from JPG Advisory as a 'kickback' after securing the contract with McInerney
- McInerney employed Dylan Whitelaw at Catholic Schools NSW in 2019 after meeting him through the Mittagong Liberal branch
- About 80% of Catholic Schools NSW funding comes from federal and state governments, totaling $3.8bn in 2024
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- McInerney proposed recruiting 5,000 Christian conservatives to join NSW Liberal party branches to take control of the NSW division
- McInerney described Whitelaw as a 'junior' at Beckington who carried out an 'account manager' role
- McInerney said Beckington contributed to two 'forward plans for public affairs and engagement in 2019'
- McInerney admitted to having political ambitions 'off and on for several years' and was 'at peace' with not taking over Jim Molan’s Senate seat after Molan died in January 2023
- McInerney wrote in March 2023: 'I know I’ve been fucked.'
- McInerney said the Reformers were 'spectacularly unsuccessful in their ambitions'
- McInerney said the Reformers' model was 'never correct'
- McInerney said he was 'mostly' supportive of the Reformers' goals
- McInerney said he could not recall a Bowral meeting with Ellis and Jean-Claude Perrottet in February 2021
- McInerney said the ABN provided by Ellis for Beckington belonged to Ellis’s sister, calling due diligence 'not particularly effective'
- McInerney said Beckington’s input was 'only ever given orally' apart from calendar entries for monthly meetings
- McInerney denied seeking money from Angus Taylor was for the Reformers, saying it was for 'party-wide, statewide' internal elections
- McInerney said he had 'in-principle support' from other Liberal Party figures for the conservative faction and its candidates
- McInerney suggested Dylan Whitelaw 'lied' or 'boasted' about securing a $15,000 payment and ongoing $3,000 donations from Taylor
- McInerney said the money sought from Taylor was for 'upcoming internal elections for the NSW Division' and 'conservative candidates in key seats'
- McInerney was elected to the Liberal Party's local government oversight committee in 2019 and 2021
- NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane replaced Shadow Planning Minister Chris Rath as her representative on the Liberal Party's state executive
- A staffer for Angus Taylor criticized Network Ten political editor Ashleigh Raper's line of questioning, saying '10 [News]+ got cut' after Taylor answered questions '500 times'
- Chris Rath allegedly helped fellow party members avoid giving evidence at a 2023 parliamentary inquiry, including Jeremy Greenwood
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The Guardian states McInerney said the Reformers were 'spectacularly unsuccessful in their ambitions,' while ABC does not explicitly report this claim
- The Guardian reports McInerney said he was 'mostly' supportive of the Reformers' goals, but ABC only notes he 'mostly believed in the goal of the Reformers to push conservative values in the Liberal Party'
- The Guardian states McInerney said the money sought from Taylor was for 'shaking down' him for 10k, while ABC reports McInerney denied it was for the Reformers and said it was for 'party-wide, statewide' internal elections
- The Guardian reports McInerney said Beckington’s input was 'only ever given orally,' while ABC does not provide details on the nature of Beckington’s work
- The Guardian states McInerney said the ABN for Beckington belonged to Ellis’s sister, but ABC does not mention this detail
Source Articles
Reformers were ‘spectacularly unsuccessful’ in taking over NSW Liberals, Catholic schools boss says
Catholic Schools NSW chief executive Dallas McInerney tells Icac corruption inquiry that Christain factional group driven by ‘a calling … a duty’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A factional ally of the federal opposition leader, Angus Taylor, has told a corruption inquiry a group of Christian Liberal power brokers who allegedly solicited illegal political donations were “spectacularly unsuccessful in their ambiti
Ex-Catholic schools boss quizzed over Angus Taylor donation messages
The former head of Catholic Schools NSW says he did seek financial support from federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, but denied it was for a right-wing Liberal factional group at the centre of a corruption probe.
Teachers demand more scrutiny of Catholic school funding amid allegations of ‘sham arrangement’ with NSW Liberal group
Independent Education Union ‘deeply concerned … public funding for Catholic schools may have been wrongfully spent on Liberal party matters’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The union for independent school teachers in New South Wales has demanded greater scrutiny of Catholic schools as the chief executive of their governing body told a corruption inquiry payments to a lobbying firm were not a “sham arrangement” to fund Liberal party factional work. Dallas McInerney i
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