NSW ICAC Opens Hearings into Liberal 'Reformers' Faction Allegedly Built on Prohibited Donations and 5,000-Member Branch-Stacking Scheme

NSW ICAC opened Operation Rosny hearings on 27 July 2026, investigating a Liberal factional group called the "Reformers." Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC alleged the group — including lobbyist Christian Ellis, consultant Robert Assaf, and Jean-Claude Perrottet, brother of former premier Dominic Perrottet — solicited prohibited donations to fund branch-stacking, recruiting 5,000 Christian conservatives to seize control of the party's NSW division. The eight-week inquiry continues.