A Liberal figure under investigation for allegedly accepting illegal donations has told the corruption watchdog that it does not have a “shred of evidence” that he was part of a conservative factional group, saying he told members “not to keep going” after it became “toxic”.
Consultant and lobbyist, Jeremy Greenwood, 37, who is named in two of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (Icac) allegations as part of Operation Rosny, gave evidence on Monday.
Greenwood, who earlier told the inquiry he had “a lot going on at home at the moment”, revealed on Monday afternoon his wife was having contractions during his evidence.
Icac is investigating whether conservative Liberal figures including Greenwood “solicited or accepted” donations, including from prohibited donors, in amounts which were undeclared or exceeded caps, for the recruitment or renewal of members to the Liberal party. The practice, known as branch-stacking, is not itself illegal.
Members of the group, known as the Reformers, wanted more conservative policies on same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia.
Reformers witnesses Robert Assaf and Jean-Claude Perrottet have disputed whether Greenwood was part of the core factional group. On Monday, Greenwood admitted his political views were aligned with members of the Reformers, but downplayed his involvement.
Greenwood described getting to know Reformers co-founder Christian Ellis when both were staffers in the office of Nationals senator Matt Canavan in 2016. He recalled attending a Reformers event in 2018 in a professional capacity, but said he did not listen to speeches by Canavan or Dominic Perrottet. Asked about another event where former broadcaster Alan Jones spoke, he said was not sure if he had attended.
“If Alan was going and speaking, I would have wanted to go, but it would have depended on my availability,” he said. “I like Alan, he’s great”.
He said his involvement with former lobbying company Beckington, set up by Ellis and himself in 2019, which the commission has heard received payments for factional work under bogus arrangements for financial and consulting advice, “started to cause me a lot of grief professionally”.
Greenwood said he “privately told all of them [the Reformers] to not keep going”. “I don’t know what date, but it became so toxic,” he said. The commission heard that Greenwood’s lobbying firm JGP Advisory had lost clients after the announcement of Icac’s inquiry.
Questioning focused on Beckington’s first client, Catholic Schools NSW, which is under investigation for prohibited donations allegedly arranged and approved by CEO, Dallas McInerney, through Beckington and JPG Advisory.
Asked about proposals and a $16,000 invoice for work sent by Beckington to the schools governing body for work from July 2019, before the lobbying company was formally established, Greenwood repeatedly said he could not recall what work was done.
At one point, counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer SC, asked: “Who can brief this commission, given your absence of memory, as to what work was actually done … ?”
Greenwood suggested asking Ellis, or former Catholic Schools NSW communications manager, James Tudehope. Tudehope, the son of upper house Liberal MP Damien Tudehope, is not named in Icac’s allegations but declined a request to give evidence after moving to New Zealand this year.
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After Greenwood said it was “inconvenient” for him that both men were overseas, Dwyer suggested it was “inconvenient for the commission … and inconvenient for the public trying to work out why this money was being committed on a monthly basis”.
Greenwood responded: “We have waited four years for this.”
Greenwood, who was a groomsman at Ellis’s wedding, said he remained close friends with him, as well as Charles Perrottet, and Reformers Robert Assaf and Jean-Claude Perrottet, with whom he attended independent Catholic school Redfield College. He said he considered Dominic Perrottet a friend, but said he had not spent “not a lot of time” with the former premier.
He said he had visited Ellis, who moved to the UK at the start of the year, and who Icac says has declined to give oral evidence to the inquiry and is yet to respond to alternative proposals, in June. Greenwood insisted Ellis did want to give evidence, saying he had moved to the UK for “personal, medical reasons” relating to a family member.
The inquiry has previously heard allegations that Greenwood, Ellis, Charles and Jean-Claude Perrottet avoided summons to appear at a parliamentary inquiry in 2023 which preceded Icac’s investigation.
Dominic Perrottet is not accused of any wrongdoing, while Jean-Claude and Charles Perrottet have previously denied any wrongdoing.
McInerney is expected to appear on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
Icac’s inquiry continues.
