Former NSW Liberal minister tells Icac ‘cult took over the party’
A former New South Wales Liberal minister has told an inquiry he came to believe “a cult had taken over the party” after branch stacking by the religious right faction, while the chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW has been sacked following his appearance before the c…
Intelligence analysis by Llama
A former NSW Liberal minister has told an inquiry he came to believe “a cult had taken over the party” after branch stacking by the religious right faction, while the chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW has been sacked following his appearance before the corruption watchdog.
A former Liberal minister in Australia told a special investigation that he thought the party had become like a cult because some people were trying to control it by adding new members. The head of the Catholic schools in New South Wales was also fired because of his involvement in the investigation.
Analysis
Branch Stacking and the Cult of the Religious Right Faction
The inquiry into corruption in the NSW Liberal party has revealed a culture of branch stacking and alleged corruption, with a former Liberal minister speaking out about the party's alleged 'cult' culture. David Elliott, a former Liberal minister and MP for the now-abolished seat of Baulkham Hills, told the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption that he came to believe “a cult had taken over the party” after branch stacking by the religious right faction.
Elliott told the commission that after he opposed developments by fugitive property developer Jean Nassif, he was followed by private investigators and received death threats. He said that Nassif had previously “left a message on my mobile that he was going to get me” in 2019.
The inquiry has previously heard legally intercepted phone calls featuring Nassif in which he claimed he had “forced the boys” to get rid of Elliott’s seat of Baulkham Hills, and had sent “Castle Hill fucking hundreds of new members”. Catholic schools chief denies wiping critical evidence after performing factory reset on phone, Icac hears
Elliott has told Icac he was aware that private investigator Shane de Kauwe was surveying him, referring to him as “the Maxwell Smart of the NSW private investigator industry”. De Kauwe, who is not named in Icac’s allegations, is expected to give evidence to the commission.
Elliott said he began to receive death threats, but he was “not saying that [Nassif] was responsible for it”. He said Nassif had previously “left a message on my mobile that he was going to get me” in 2019.
The Sacking of Catholic Schools NSW CEO
The chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW, Dallas McInerney, has been sacked following his appearance before the corruption watchdog. In a statement shared on Friday, Catholic Schools NSW said its board had “unanimously determined that there is a loss of confidence in Dallas McInerney’s ability to lead the organisation into the future”.
The Inquiry into Corruption in the NSW Liberal Party
The inquiry into corruption in the NSW Liberal party has revealed a culture of branch stacking and alleged corruption, with a former Liberal minister speaking out about the party's alleged 'cult' culture. The inquiry has previously heard legally intercepted phone calls featuring Nassif in which he claimed he had “forced the boys” to get rid of Elliott’s seat of Baulkham Hills, and had sent “Castle Hill fucking hundreds of new members”.
Key points
- A former NSW Liberal minister has told an inquiry he came to believe “a cult had taken over the party” after branch stacking by the religious right faction.
- The chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW has been sacked following his appearance before the corruption watchdog.
- The inquiry into corruption in the NSW Liberal party has revealed a culture of branch stacking and alleged corruption.
- A former Liberal minister has spoken out about the party's alleged 'cult' culture.
The inquiry into corruption in the NSW Liberal party may lead to further reforms and a more transparent party culture, potentially reducing the influence of the religious right faction.
The alleged corruption and branch stacking in the NSW Liberal party may continue, potentially leading to further damage to the party's reputation and the loss of public trust.
