The public hearings for the Independent Commission Against Corruption's (Icac) Operation Rosny concluded on Tuesday, 10 weeks after they began in July. The inquiry, which investigated allegations concerning electoral donations and branch-stacking, did not result in major resignations, which may have disappointed some observers.
Peggy Dwyer SC, counsel assisting the inquiry, had highlighted the central role of electoral donations laws, stating that "Money in politics, as in other spheres of life, has the potential to corrupt." The investigation focused on whether a group of young conservative Christians, known as the Reformers, took prohibited or undeclared donations to support branch stacking within the NSW division of the Liberal party.
Anthony Whealy KC, chair of the Centre for Public Integrity and a former Icac assistant commissioner, stated that the success of an inquiry is not dependent on resignations. He anticipates that the impact of Operation Rosny will be twofold: providing definitive rulings on what constitutes a political donation in a carefully considered report, and the public nature of the proceedings.
During the hearings, Icac examined allegations that three Liberal figures received $2 million in donations from property developer Jean Nassif to support branch stacking, damage the career of then Liberal minister David Elliott, and remove building commissioner David Chandler. Nassif appeared via video link from Beirut, denying corruption allegations and claiming he would return to clear his name.
Some individuals named in the allegations argued that payments for factional work do not count as political donations, or that they were for genuine lobbying and consulting. The NSW Electoral Commission declined to comment on whether payments to factional groups were donations, indicating that Icac's ruling in this area is expected to be conclusive.
While not accused of wrongdoing, federal opposition leader Angus Taylor faced questions regarding a message about a plan to "shake down Angus for 10K." Dallas McInerney, Taylor's factional ally, lost his job after admitting to performing a factory reset on his iPhone. Damien Tudehope was referred to a parliamentary privileges committee for leaking a confidential draft report. Former premier Dominic Perrottet was explicitly stated by the presiding commissioner not to be a person of interest, despite his name appearing in messages and phone taps.