Right-wing ‘Reformers’ network at centre of NSW Liberal corruption inquiry

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption has opened a major investigation into the Reformers, a right-wing Liberal faction formed in 2018 by lobbyists Christian Ellis and Robert Assaf. The group set out to enlist 5,000 Christian conservatives into the NSW Liberal Party, eventually gaining representation on the state executive and taking control of branches such as Coffs Harbour. ICAC hearings have uncovered alleged unlawful political donations, branch-stacking schemes and “sham” arrangements, with connections to Charles and Jean-Claude Perrottet, former staffer Dylan Whitelaw and lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood.

Fugitive property developer Jean Nassif is accused of offering $100,000 to influence a Perrottet brother’s preselection and of promising up to $2 million through intermediaries. The investigation also notes the Reformers’ roots in Redfield College, a Catholic school linked to Opus Dei, and consulting contracts with firms Beckington and JPG Advisory that paid $165,000 from donor Michael O’Hara. While Dominic Perrottet has not been implicated, the probe could expose extensive factional influence and illegal financing within the NSW Liberal Party.