ICAC probes Catholic schools body over alleged Liberal faction payments

NSW's anti-corruption watchdog is examining whether Catholic Schools NSW — which received $3.8 billion in public funding in 2024 — diverted up to $265,000 to the Reformers, a conservative faction within the state Liberal Party. CEO Dallas McInerney, who has stood aside, says the payments were genuine consulting work, not a cover for factional branch stacking — the practice of recruiting members to sway internal party votes.