Key facts
- Senior NSW Liberal Damien Tudehope testified at an Icac inquiry.
- He was questioned about a 2018 message from former staffer Jean-Claude Perrottet.
- The message stated 'Scott and Damien are afraid.'
- The inquiry is investigating alleged illegal donations for branch stacking.
- Tudehope admitted his former staffer had a 'talent' for recruiting party members.
- He also acknowledged potentially making payments to the Reformers faction.
A senior New South Wales Liberal politician, Damien Tudehope, has given evidence at an Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) inquiry, Operation Rosny, which is investigating allegations of illegal donations for branch stacking within the Liberal party. Tudehope, the NSW shadow attorney general and Liberal leader in the upper house, was questioned about a 2018 message sent by his former staffer, Jean-Claude Perrottet, which stated, 'Scott and Damien are afraid.' Jean-Claude Perrottet is the younger brother of former Liberal premier Dominic Perrottet.
Tudehope admitted that Jean-Claude Perrottet possessed a 'talent' for recruiting and renewing party members, a skill he described as essential for Liberal members seeking to retain their seats. He acknowledged that Jean-Claude had a wide network of friends he could mobilize for party activities. Tudehope has stood aside from his shadow cabinet roles during the inquiry, though he is not accused of any wrongdoing.
The inquiry heard that Ellis, another staffer, was employed for three months before being terminated in July 2019, a dismissal Tudehope suggested was precipitated by a newspaper article detailing staffers using ministerial hours for recruitment, which violated their code of conduct. Tudehope also conceded that he may have made payments to the Reformers, a faction within the Liberal party with which he associated, and that he introduced hotelier Michael O’Hara to Reformers Ellis and Robert Assaf, knowing O’Hara was 'generous' and likely to provide financial support.
Retired businessman Frits Maré testified about a 2020 meeting where Jean-Claude Perrottet and Christian Ellis allegedly asked him to contribute $50,000 to an operation aimed at unseating Liberal member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke, by signing up new Liberal members via a call centre. Maré declined this request, finding it unusual. Tudehope, like O’Hara, disputed whether payments to the unregistered Reformers group would constitute prohibited political donations.