Key facts
- Texts presented at an inquiry suggest Angus Taylor may have paid money to the Reformers or refused to do so.
- The inquiry is investigating whether the Reformers solicited or accepted illegal donations for Liberal party recruitment.
- Jean-Claude Perrottet, a member of the Reformers, testified he did not recall receiving payments from lobbying company Beckington.
- The late Teena McQueen was also suggested to have paid money to support Reformers' work.
- Dallas McInerney is expected to give evidence regarding allegations of prohibited donations.
Texts presented to New South Wales's anti-corruption watchdog suggest federal opposition leader Angus Taylor may have paid money to a hard-right factional group known as the Reformers, or refused to do so. The lawyer assisting the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) inquiry, Juliet Curtin, read out messages from September 2021, sent by Reformers co-founder Christian Ellis.
In one message, Ellis stated the group had "zero dollars at the moment." When asked why, he replied: "Because Michael O’Hara hates the vax campaign, and Angus Taylor hates Rob." Curtin interpreted this as suggesting Taylor had paid money to the Reformers or was refusing to, a suggestion Jean-Claude Perrottet, a member of the Reformers, said sounded plausible but that he had not recalled until it was raised.
The inquiry has previously heard that hotelier Michael O’Hara threatened to end an arrangement to pay lobbying company Beckington for Reformers factional work after the group adopted an anti-vaccination stance. Jean-Claude Perrottet also testified that he did not know why he received monthly payments of $5,000 from Beckington between April and August 2021, suggesting it could have been for work or that Ellis owed him money. He conceded his inability to recall might be due to not performing consulting work for Ellis.
Further evidence suggested that the late former federal Liberal vice-president Teena McQueen may have paid money to support the Reformers' work. Jean-Claude Perrottet was also read messages indicating McQueen might have donated $500 directly to the group via Dallas McInerney, the chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW, who has been named in Icac's allegations. McInerney is expected to give evidence next week regarding allegations of prohibited donations made by the schools governing body.