Jessica McSweeneyUpdated August 3, 2026 — 10:24am,first published August 3, 2026 — 9:01amWelcome to week two By Jessica McSweeneyGood morning and welcome to the Herald’s live coverage of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s blockbuster Operation Rosny hearings.I’m state political reporter Jessica McSweeney, and I’ll be bringing you all the latest updates from today’s evidence, along with analysis from the Herald’s senior writers.Today we’ll continue to hear from former Catholic Schools NSW staffer and founding member of Liberal Party factional group the Reformers, Robert Assaf. This afternoon the commission is expected to call Damien Tudehope, a current Liberal MP who stood down as shadow attorney general when he discovered he would be asked to appear.Tudehope is not accused of wrongdoing.Here’s a recap of what we covered last week:Former Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW) CEO Dallas McInerney told the commission he wanted to “shake down” Angus Taylor for $10,000 for the Reformers. Text messages from former CSNSW staffer Dylan Whitelaw shown to the commission claimed Taylor agreed to donate $15,000 plus monthly contributions of $3000. Taylor has repeatedly said no payments were made.The commission heard evidence from Whitelaw and Assaf that they would do work for the Reformers during the day at CSNSW. Whitelaw estimate Assaf’s work was a 60/40 split – 60 per cent on Reformers, 40 per cent on CSNSW duties. Assaf disputed this, and said he would only do political work after his work for CSNSW was completed.Counsel assisting the commission, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, played phone taps during her opening statement showing fugitive property developer Jean Nassif bragging about his influence over the then-Liberal state government. He called Dominic Perrottet his “boy”, and boasted that the fair trading minister would be replaced with one of his “girls”. Eleni Petinos was appointed to the role shortly after that phone call.Michael O’Hara, who the commission has heard provided financial support to the Reformers, withdrew his support after feeling then-premier Dominic Perrottet and prime minister Scott Morrison had gone too “woke”.Dwyer said in her opening statement she expects the evidence will show that figures in this investigation – Christian Ellis, Charles Perrottet and Jeremy Greenwood – anticipated they would be paid $2 million in total by Nassif, in exchange for furthering his interests.A “shit sheet” was prepared against factional enemy of the Reformers David Elliott, which included the false claim he was having an affair. Elliott strongly denies this, and said he is a devoted husband of 30 years.Today’s hearing kicks off at 9.30am, and you can follow the live stream here. Latest Posts10.24am‘Pissed off’: Assaf, Ellis relationship frayed over paymentsBy Jessica McSweeneyDwyer has just read out some text messages to the commission that show the relationship between key Reformers Assaf and Ellis becoming frosty over money issues.Assaf said he was entitled 10 per cent of the total value of contracts with clients he introduced to Ellis’s company Beckington. That included Catholic Schools NSW.In a text message to Ellis, Assaf said he was “actually quite pissed off” about not getting his cut of the money. “Quite frankly, I don’t care how you guys run your business, but the agreement was that any contract you guys take on that I introduced, I get 10 per cent.”The pair exchanged a few more tense messages before Ellis says: “I think you need to calm down and discussion later. We’ve literally sent some WhatsApp messages back and forth this morning, and you’ve blown up.”9.56amLiberal party figures were concerned about Nassif connectionBy Jessica McSweeneyCounsel assisting the commission, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, has begun the hearing by asking Robert Assaf about why he decided to resign from the Reformers, the religious right-wing Liberal factional group that he co-founded.Assaf told the commission part of his motivation to “phase out” from the Reformers was that he felt co-founder Christian Ellis wasn’t giving him a straight answer on some of his concerns.One of those concerns, Assaf said, was Ellis’s connection to fugitive property developer Jean Nassif.Ellis told him he was assisting Nassif with lobbying around a water issue he had for one of his development projects.Assaf said there were widespread concerns, as well as “jokes and insinuations”, in the right faction around Ellis’s connection to Nassif’s Toplace.“I personally viewed it as a perception issue, like as in you just don’t want to be associated with developers because it really taints the value stuff we were doing,” Assaf said.9.10amBranch stacking, fake invoices and shakedownsBy Liam PhelanIf you want a quick catch-up on the key events from last week, Bevan Shields has put together this video:9.02amTony Abbott blasts ‘factional weaponisation’ By Paul SakkalTony Abbott, the Liberal Party president and close ally of Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, has accused the ICAC of overstepping its remit by becoming involved in an “internal party squabble”.Abbott, whom Taylor picked as federal president in May, described the religious-right Reformers as a group of enthusiastic young Christians with a strong sense of mission, and argued there was no suggestion of self-enriching corruption.ICAC witness Dylan Whitelaw (right) with former prime minister Tony Abbott. Abbott is not involved in the inquiry.FacebookAbbott acknowledged the Reformers, whose key members provided evidence in the first week of Operation Rosny’s hearings, “might have let their enthusiasm get the better of their judgment.”However, the former prime minister told this masthead the inquiry seemed to involve one faction weaponising the ICAC against another.9.02amThe main players and allegations under scrutinyBy Jessica McSweeneyThis explosive ICAC inquiry has already taken plenty of twists and turns, and with so many players involved from property developers to Liberal Party apparatchiks to Labor Strathfield councillors, lets take another look at what the key allegations are. The first allegation is if Liberal Party operatives linked to the Reformers (a religious right-wing group) Christian Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood, Jean-Claude Perrottet and Robert Assaf, solicited or accepted money from prohibited donors and so-called “sham” contracts to further their factional work. That includes donations from prohibited donor and hotelier Michael O’Hara, and allegations then Catholic Schools NSW CEO Dallas McInerney directed funds from the schools body be used to support the Reformers through a bogus consulting contract. If Christian Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood and Charles Perrottet solicited and received political donations from fugitive property developer Jean Nassif to support branch stacking activities, allegedly in exchange for outcomes favourable to Nassif. That includes efforts to damage the political career of then MP David Elliott, and efforts to remove then building commissioner David Chandler from his position. If Labor Strathfield councillors Sharangan Maheswaran and/or Karen Pensabene engaged in dishonest conduct while in public office, mainly spying and blackmail, towards independent councillor Matthew Blackmore. Pinned post from 9.02amWelcome to week two By Jessica McSweeneyGood morning and welcome to the Herald’s live coverage of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s blockbuster Operation Rosny hearings.I’m state political reporter Jessica McSweeney, and I’ll be bringing you all the latest updates from today’s evidence, along with analysis from the Herald’s senior writers.Today we’ll continue to hear from former Catholic Schools NSW staffer and founding member of Liberal Party factional group the Reformers, Robert Assaf. This afternoon the commission is expected to call Damien Tudehope, a current Liberal MP who stood down as shadow attorney general when he discovered he would be asked to appear.Tudehope is not accused of wrongdoing.Here’s a recap of what we covered last week:Former Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW) CEO Dallas McInerney told the commission he wanted to “shake down” Angus Taylor for $10,000 for the Reformers. Text messages from former CSNSW staffer Dylan Whitelaw shown to the commission claimed Taylor agreed to donate $15,000 plus monthly contributions of $3000. Taylor has repeatedly said no payments were made.The commission heard evidence from Whitelaw and Assaf that they would do work for the Reformers during the day at CSNSW. Whitelaw estimate Assaf’s work was a 60/40 split – 60 per cent on Reformers, 40 per cent on CSNSW duties. Assaf disputed this, and said he would only do political work after his work for CSNSW was completed.Counsel assisting the commission, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, played phone taps during her opening statement showing fugitive property developer Jean Nassif bragging about his influence over the then-Liberal state government. He called Dominic Perrottet his “boy”, and boasted that the fair trading minister would be replaced with one of his “girls”. Eleni Petinos was appointed to the role shortly after that phone call.Michael O’Hara, who the commission has heard provided financial support to the Reformers, withdrew his support after feeling then-premier Dominic Perrottet and prime minister Scott Morrison had gone too “woke”.Dwyer said in her opening statement she expects the evidence will show that figures in this investigation – Christian Ellis, Charles Perrottet and Jeremy Greenwood – anticipated they would be paid $2 million in total by Nassif, in exchange for furthering his interests.A “shit sheet” was prepared against factional enemy of the Reformers David Elliott, which included the false claim he was having an affair. Elliott strongly denies this, and said he is a devoted husband of 30 years.Today’s hearing kicks off at 9.30am, and you can follow the live stream here. 1 of 1