Lobbyist tells Icac there's not a 'shred of evidence' he was involved with conservative Liberal group
Lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood told NSW's corruption watchdog there is no evidence he was part of the conservative Reformers faction, as Icac's Operation Rosny investigates alleged illegal donations and branch-stacking in the Liberal party.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
Jeremy Greenwood, named in Icac's Operation Rosny allegations, denied being a core member of the conservative Reformers faction during his evidence, claiming he only assisted at one event 'under heavy pressure' and privately urged members to stop. The inquiry is examining alleged illegal donations, including from prohibited donors, for Liberal party membership recruitment.
A man named Jeremy went to a special meeting where investigators are checking whether some politicians took money they weren't supposed to. He said he only helped at one event and told the group to stop because things got messy, but the investigators have messages that say he was more involved than he admits.
Analysis
Operation Rosny
Icac's Operation Rosny has placed the spotlight on a cluster of NSW Liberal figures alleged to have solicited or accepted donations from prohibited donors, or in amounts exceeding the legal caps, for the recruitment or renewal of party members. Branch-stacking itself is not unlawful in NSW, but the inquiry is testing whether the financial flows crossed into illegality. Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC has pushed Greenwood on intercepted messages suggesting he supported Reformers activities in 2019, a line of questioning that exposed the limits of his denials. For an inquiry that has already heard witnesses allege that members avoided a 2023 parliamentary summons, Greenwood's insistence that there is "not a shred of evidence" against him will be weighed against the documentary record the commission is building.
Reformers
The Reformers were a factional grouping inside the NSW Liberal party pushing more conservative positions on same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia. Other witnesses, including Robert Assaf and Jean-Claude Perrottet, have already disputed whether Greenwood was part of the core group, a useful framing for the defence but one the commission appears to be testing rather than accepting. Greenwood conceded his political views aligned with theirs but said he "assisted on one event under heavy pressure" and later privately told members "to not keep going" because it "became so toxic." Presiding commissioner Fabian Gleeson intervened to remind Greenwood that holding personal moral views was not the subject of the criticism, a moment that underlined the inquiry's procedural discipline even when testimony strayed into politically charged territory.
Beckington
The lobbying company Beckington, set up by Greenwood and Christian Ellis in 2019, sits at the centre of the financial allegations. Icac has heard that Beckington and Greenwood's later firm JGP Advisory received payments for factional work under what the commission described as "bogus arrangements" for financial and consulting advice. Greenwood told the inquiry his involvement with Beckington "started to cause me a lot of grief professionally," and that JGP Advisory had already lost clients once Icac announced its probe. Ellis, who has since moved to the UK, has declined to give oral evidence, and Icac says alternative proposals are yet to receive a response, a development that could complicate the commission's ability to test Greenwood's account against his former business partner's.
Key points
- Jeremy Greenwood told Icac there is 'not a shred of evidence' linking him to the core Reformers group beyond assisting at one event 'under heavy pressure'.
- Operation Rosny is investigating whether NSW Liberal figures accepted prohibited or undisclosed donations for party membership recruitment, a practice known as branch-stacking.
- Icac has heard that lobbying firm Beckington, co-founded by Greenwood and Christian Ellis, received payments for factional work under 'bogus arrangements' for advice.
- Ellis, who moved to the UK earlier this year, has declined to give oral evidence to the inquiry, complicating efforts to test Greenwood's account.
- Presiding commissioner Fabian Gleeson intervened during testimony to stress that personal moral views were not the subject of criticism.
If Greenwood's account holds up, it could limit the scope of Icac's findings against him personally and narrow the circle of figures directly implicated in the alleged illegal donation scheme. A clean resolution for those not charged would also allow the broader Liberal party to draw a line under the saga and refocus on policy.
If intercepted messages and financial records contradict Greenwood's testimony, the inquiry could escalate its findings against him and others, deepening reputational damage to the NSW Liberal party and prompting calls for stricter federal rules on political donations and branch-stacking. The continued refusal of Christian Ellis to give evidence could also leave gaps that prolong the inquiry and fuel further speculation.
