Jessica McSweeneyUpdated August 21, 2026 — 11:16am,first published August 21, 2026 — 9:09am11.16amMcInerney releases statement after sacking from Catholic Schools NSWBy Bevan ShieldsWe have just been in touch with Dallas McInerney following his sacking from Catholic Schools NSW.McInerney stood aside from the role in July when the ICAC announced Operation Rosny and was terminated on Friday morning.McInerney told the Herald: “When the inquiry started, I said I would privilege the position of the company before my own. That is why I stood aside.“I note the inquiry continues its important work and we are months away from findings and conclusions. I will forever remain grateful for the opportunity to serve and hope I have made some positive contributions along the way.”The board said it had unanimously lost confidence in McInerney’s ability to lead the organisation.11.11amElliott says Nassif followed him, threatened his careerBy Jessica McSweeneyDavid Elliott says after his 2020 letter criticising one of Jean Nassif’s developments, he was tailed by private investigators, subject to death threats and was confronted by Nassif himself on two occasions.In the first approach, Elliott said Nassif confronted him at Castle Towers and demanded to speak to him about his developments. Elliott said he told Nassif he didn’t speak to property developers.David Elliott is giving evidence before the ICAC.Peter RaeNassif then made another approach to Elliott at a pub in Parramatta, where he told the MP he wanted to introduce him to his daughter, and again demanded to speak with Elliott about development. Elliott says he again refused.Elliott said his chief of staff, Tanya Raffoul, was “threatened” by Nassif a number of times through the Lebanese community. He said Raffoul went to the same church as Nassif.In one instance Raffoul was called into a meeting with Nassif, who claimed to have photos of Elliott. Elliott told the ICAC that Nassif said to Raffoul words to the effect of “you’re going to have to spill your guts on him [Elliott] and we’re going to need you to resign and essentially turn on him, and that you know his career would be ending the next day”.10.53amNassif ‘went nuts’ after Elliott campaigned against developmentBy Jessica McSweeneyDavid Elliott has told the commission he was generally opposed to what he viewed as overdevelopment in his electorate, which was why he wrote a letter campaigning against Toplace’s proposed Cherrybrook development.Elliott said that when he wrote the letter to then planning minister Rob Stokes in February 2020 he did not know the Cherrybrook project was connected to Jean Nassif.It was after that letter that Nassif “went nuts”, Elliott said.10.37amBreaking: Dallas McInerney sacked as Catholic Schools NSW CEOBy Bevan ShieldsCatholic Schools NSW has sacked Dallas McInerney as its chief executive after his appearance in the witness box at the Independent Commission Against Corruption. I’m told that staff at the organisation have been informed of the decision this morning.The Herald has been told that the schools funding organisation had been advised by multiple people to allow McInerney to resign, but the board decided to terminate his contract.You can read the full breaking story here.10.32amDominic Perrottet ‘sledged’ Christian Ellis, Elliott claims By Jessica McSweeneyPeggy Dwyer is now asking David Elliott about Christian Ellis, a Liberal Party figure who is a key person of interest in this inquiry.Elliott said he’s never met Ellis, but the one time he recalls hearing his name was when Dominic Perrottet “absolutely sledged him”. Ellis worked in Perrottet’s electoral office, Elliott said.David Elliott arrives at the ICAC on Friday. Peter Rae“I remember his name was brought up, and Dominic just absolutely sledged him because he had to sack him, and he wanted me to remind everybody that he sacked Christian Ellis,” Elliott said.Perrottet sacked Ellis, Elliott told the commission, because he found a stack of constituent correspondence stuffed in a drawer that Ellis had chosen not to pursue.10.21amCharles Perrottet was ‘muscle’ behind his brother’s government, Elliott claimsBy Jessica McSweeneyDavid Elliott has been asked by counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer, SC, about the role of Charles Perrottet in the Liberal Party.“If somebody needed to be sidelined ... if there were negotiations that needed to be made to keep the MPs at arm’s length, Charlie Perrottet would be the one that they would send in to do the work,” Elliott said.Dwyer asked if Charles Perrottet was the “muscle” behind his brother, Dominic Perrottet’s government.“Behind the scenes, very much, I think Dom was happy for him to be sidelined because of the reputational damage that by then the hard right were bringing upon themselves,” he said.“Religious right members of that faction would still say to me, ‘I’ve got to check with Charlie. We’ve got to check with Charlie.’ So he was still certainly calling the shots.”10.16amBranch stacking meant preselection guaranteed to ‘Opus Dei candidate’By Jessica McSweeneyDavid Elliott, who left politics after his seat Baulkham Hills was abolished at the 2023 election, said he didn’t run for preselection for a neighbouring electorate because of branch-stacking efforts.When his seat was abolished he considered putting his name forward for the seat of Castle Hill.David Elliott appears before the ICAC on Friday. ICAC“It was made very clear to me that the branch stacking, well, the branch development, depending on your interpretation of what went on, had made it that it would have to go to the religious right. There would be an Opus Dei candidate,” he said.Elliott told the commission that he was still a member of the Liberal Party, but no longer attended branch meetings.10.01am‘Justice will prevail’: Elliott arrives at ICACBy Jessica McSweeneyDavid Elliott has arrived at the ICAC feeling “really good” about appearing before the public hearing.When asked by Nine’s Liz Daniels how he felt about his chance to give evidence, Elliott replied: “Good, really good”.“Justice will prevail.”9.08amPetinos felt used by friend in push for Chandler’s removalBy Bevan Shields and Jessica McSweeneyFormer NSW cabinet minister Eleni Petinos told the corruption inquiry yesterday that she was “disgusted” by the thought of being used in a plot orchestrated by a disgraced developer to drive outspoken building commissioner David Chandler from office.Chandler and David Elliott, who will give evidence today, were two of Jean Nassif’s major enemies around 2022, when he saw the men as standing in the way of his developments.Petinos described repeated attempts by several Liberal Party operatives to undermine Chandler, including senior political staffer Chris Spence.A defiant Petinos told the corruption watchdog that she now realises Spence, a close friend and the chief of staff to then-planning minister Anthony Roberts, had used her to try to have Chandler removed.“Frankly, even the little I knew coming into here today is enough to leave me disgusted and to feel like personal relationships were leant on in a highly improper way, and that’s not someone that you would call a friend,” she said.Read the full recap of Petinos’s evidence here. 9.08amThe ICAC’s major playersBy Jessica McSweeneyWe’re now close to the end of the fourth week of public hearings, which have included evidence from two sitting MPs, the chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW and many less well-known Liberal Party factional operators.The corruption probe is investigating three key sets of allegations, which include claims that Liberal figures solicited illegal donations through bogus contracts with the schools body and hotelier Michael O’Hara, and perhaps the more sinister claim that Jean Nassif (who is now on the run in Lebanon) was funding branch-stacking activities to further his own interests.Some of the people crucial to this inquiry are far from household names, so before we start today’s evidence, let’s have a quick refresh of who the major players are.1 of 2