NSW ICAC inquiry into Catholic Schools NSW and Liberal Party corruption allegations
Consensus Summary
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is investigating allegations of illegal political donations and factional dealings involving Catholic Schools NSW CEO Dallas McInerney, Liberal Party operatives, and lobbyists Christian Ellis and Jeremy Greenwood. Both the Guardian and ABC report that McInerney admitted performing a factory reset on his work phone and iPad after giving evidence to ICAC last week, claiming it was due to a bank alert about a compromised account on Friday. Messages between McInerney and Ellis, a Reformer faction ally, show efforts to secure meetings with Angus Taylor in February 2020, with McInerney acknowledging political machinations but denying most of Beckington’s work for Catholic Schools NSW was factional. Catholic Schools NSW paid lobbying firms Beckington and JPG Advisory $265,900 between August 2019 and December 2023, while ICAC probes claims Reformers solicited illegal donations between 2019 and 2023. Taylor denies making payments and has not responded to questions about his involvement, though McInerney has acknowledged seeking financial support from him. The ABC adds specific claims of $10,000 and $15,000 donations, which McInerney disputes, while the Guardian provides additional context on McInerney’s interactions with Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh and the Hume Forum.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Dallas McInerney performed a factory reset on a work phone and iPad over the weekend after giving evidence to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) last week
- McInerney admitted wiping the devices after being asked to produce messages between him and Liberal Party operatives, including Reformer Jean-Claude Perrottet in 2021
- McInerney claimed the reset was triggered by a bank alert about his account being 'compromised by an unknown merchant' on Friday
- Messages between McInerney and Christian Ellis (a Reformer and lobbyist) discussed pestering Angus Taylor for a meeting in February 2020, with Ellis writing 'I know I’m being a pest, but any luck with Angus by any chance?'
- McInerney acknowledged messages showing he had secured a meeting with Taylor, an ally in the Liberals’ conservative right faction, in February 2020
- Catholic Schools NSW paid lobbying companies Beckington (controlled by Ellis and Jeremy Greenwood) and JPG Advisory (controlled by Greenwood) $265,900 between August 2019 and December 2023
- ICAC is investigating allegations that between 2019 and 2023, members of the Reformers solicited or accepted illegal donations to support Liberal Party recruitment or renewal
- Angus Taylor has denied making payments to the Reformers and has not responded to questions about his knowledge of their activities
- McInerney is a factional ally of Angus Taylor and previously denied a message about a plan to 'shake down Angus' referred to donations to the Reformers
- McInerney stood aside from his role as CEO of Catholic Schools NSW before the ICAC hearings began
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- McInerney revealed he had performed the factory reset after his bank contacted him on Friday to tell him his account had been 'compromised by an unknown merchant'
- Messages between McInerney and Ellis included a reference to 'Nas' (unknown person) and the federal electorate of Eden-Monaro, with Ellis writing 'Supposedly Nas is not guaranteed of running for Eden-Monaro. Angus went in. Thanks.'
- McInerney was asked about an exchange in April 2020 between him and Ellis about an Easter message from Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh, with McInerney calling her handwriting 'the penmanship of a junior high school student' and later commenting 'Dumb as dog shit'
- McInerney acknowledged that messages between him and Reformers included 'political machinations' but rejected the idea that most of Beckington’s work for Catholic Schools NSW was factional Liberal party work
- McInerney said he had written references for Melissa McIntosh when she was 'under severe threat of losing her pre-selection'
- The inquiry heard that Ellis and Greenwood were involved in fundraising for an organisation described as the 'Hume Foundation' or 'Hume Forum', which raised funds for Taylor and the Liberal Party in his federal seat of Hume
- McInerney told the inquiry that his bank account was 'proactively' blocked by NAB over transactions linked to an unknown offshore merchant
- McInerney admitted he did not speak to his solicitors or Catholic Schools NSW about the factory reset or its implications
- Messages between McInerney and Ellis in late 2019 and early 2020 discussed 'pestering' Taylor to arrange a meeting
- McInerney acknowledged seeking financial support from Taylor but rejected the suggestion it was for the Reformers, claiming it was for 'in-principal support' for conservative candidates
- McInerney said he attended events by the Hume Forum but was not a member
- The ABC reported that messages claimed McInerney had secured a $15,000 donation from Taylor, along with monthly $3,000 payments, though McInerney disputed this
- McInerney said he wanted to 'shake down Angus for 10k' to fund the NSW Reformers
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states McInerney performed the factory reset after his bank contacted him on Friday, while the ABC says his account was 'proactively blocked' by NAB over transactions linked to an unknown offshore merchant, with no mention of a Friday contact in the ABC article
- The Guardian reports McInerney said he performed the reset 'in the realisation I’m not likely returning to the company,' while the ABC does not include this specific reasoning
- The Guardian includes a specific quote from McInerney about the inquiry lasting 'almost seven or eight weeks,' while the ABC does not mention this exact duration
- The ABC reports McInerney said he wanted to 'shake down Angus for 10k' to fund the Reformers, while the Guardian only mentions McInerney denying a message about a plan to 'shake down Angus' referred to donations
Source Articles
Catholic schools chief denies wiping critical evidence after performing factory reset on phone, Icac hears
Dallas McInerney tells inquiry he wiped data from his devices over the weekend after receiving a security warning from his bank Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW has denied he performed a factory reset on a work phone and iPad to wipe critical evidence for an investigation into allegations of corruption in the New South Wales Liberals, an inquiry has heard. On Wednesday,
'Factory reset is a factory reset': ICAC told phone and iPad wiped
It comes as Dallas McInerney was asked to produce text messages between him and NSW Liberal Party figures central to the corruption probe.