Lobbying firm linked to Reformers created fake administrative assistant named ‘Jessica’, Icac hears

Consultant Jeremy Greenwood gives evidence to Independent Commission Against Corruption as it investigates allegations linked to Christian Liberal group

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A lobbyist under investigation by the New South Wales corruption watchdog has admitted to commissioning a “shit sheet” on a former Liberal MP, knowing a reference to a purported extramarital affair was untrue, an inquiry has heard.

The consultant and lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood gave his second day of evidence to the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (Icac) Operation Rosny on Tuesday.

Greenwood is named in two of the watchdog’s allegations. He is among three Liberal figures who allegedly took donations from Jean Nassif, a fugitive property developer, in exchange for the pursuit of outcomes including damage to the career of the former NSW Liberal minister and MP David Elliott.

On Tuesday, Greenwood was asked about a document titled “David Elliott shit sheet.docx”, which he emailed to himself in December 2020.

The inquiry previously heard from Dylan Whitelaw, a former employee of ChristianEllis and Greenwood at registered lobbying company Beckington, that he had been asked by Greenwood to write part of the document.

Greenwood accepted this evidence, but like Whitelaw told the commission he did not write a section with the sub-heading “extramarital affair”.

Following Whitelaw’s evidence, during which he accepted under cross-examination that no such affair had taken place, Elliott issued a statement rejecting the allegations. Greenwood admitted that when he sent the document to himself, with a view to using it to discredit Elliott, he knew the affair to be untrue.

“To make it very clear, particularly for Mr Elliott’s family, we figured out pretty quickly there was no affair,” he said.

But Greenwood rejected that the document, which he said was never circulated, had been created to benefit Nassif, saying “there was an ongoing thing with [Elliott] from well before I met Jean Nassif”.

“David Elliott was actively attacking Beckington, Christian, and myself, and I think it’s perfectly fine to have defence on this,” he said. Elliott has been contacted for comment.

‘Jessica’ the fake administrative assistant

On Tuesday, the inquiry heard that Beckington, which allegedly accepted illegal donations to fund factional Liberal party work, created a fake administrative assistant called “Jessica”.

Icac is investigating whether the company was used by a Christian Liberal factional group known as the Reformers to solicit or accept prohibited donations for the recruitment or renewal of members to the party. The practice, known as branch stacking, is not itself illegal.

The group wanted more conservative policies on issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia.

Icac has heard that Beckington, set up by Greenwood and Ellis in 2019, accepted payments for factional work through fake invoices to Michael O’Hara, a prohibited donor, and the schools governing body Catholic Schools NSW. Greenwood has said he cannot recall either arrangement.

On Tuesday, counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer SC, read out 2020 correspondence from Beckington to Catholic Schools NSW with invoices, signed “Kind regards, Jessica”. “Who’s Jessica?” she asked.

“Sorry, I’m not laughing,” said Greenwood. “Jessica was a fake admin name Christian created. He just thought it was funny.”

After Dwyer said she was “not getting the joke”, Greenwood said: “We have silly humour. Sorry.”

Greenwood repeatedly said he could not recall if the company paid Reformers members to do factional work. He said he believed the company had made payments to Jean-Claude Perrottet, the younger brother of the former premier Dominic Perrottet. Dominic Perrottet is not named in Icac’s allegations.

“If he wanted money, we looked after him,” said Greenwood, who later admitted to a payment of $12,000 to Jean-Claude Perrottet, who he described as his “favourite friend”.

Ellis moved to the UK at the start of this year, and the inquiry has heard he declined to give oral evidence, but on Monday Greenwood insisted his friend did want to give evidence.

On Tuesday, the inquiry heard Ellis rang Greenwood at 6am on encrypted messaging app Signal.

Greenwood said Ellis had asked him: “‘What was the reaction to you saying I wanted to appear?’ And I said, ‘Just noted.’” He said he could not recall if he had discussed payments to Jean-Claude Perrottet with Ellis.

Greenwood, who is named in two of the watchdog’s allegations, has repeatedly disputed being a member of the Reformers.

He was asked about being privy to and responding to messages in which the Reformers discussed recruitment work. Greenwood repeatedly said he was not an “active participant” in group chats.

Greenwood will give evidence to the commission again on Wednesday, the watchdog confirmed. The witness on Thursday and Friday will be the Catholic Schools CEO, Dallas McInerney.

On Tuesday, Dwyer read out a 2021 text exchange from Greenwood to McInerney claiming that the Nationals senator Matt Canavan, Greenwood’s former boss, had asked McInerney to pass on a message to the moderate Liberal Dave Sharma.

Canavan was purportedly concerned about Sharma’s plan to remove a section of the Religious Discrimination Act, which allows religious schools to discriminate against students on the basis of their sexuality in certain circumstances. McInerney said he had texted Sharma and the Liberal moderate Andrew Bragg for “urgent conversations”.

Canavan, Sharma and Bragg are not accused of any wrongdoing.