NSW Liberal MP Damien Tudehope introduced the “NSW Reformers” to publican backer Michael O’Hara at an event at his home featuring right wing commentator Miranda Devine.
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption has heard Tudehope introduced O’Hara — a prohibited donor — to the Reformers so he could help the hard-right group “financially”.
O’Hara, a close friend and former long-time colleague of Tudehope’s, then gave tens of thousands of dollars to the NSW Reformers.
Tudehope told the ICAC he was aware “property developers and publicans and hoteliers” were banned from making political donations.
He considered O’Hara, as a pub owner and hotelier, would be a “prohibited donor”, yet he did not consider O’Hara’s payments to the Reformers to be “donations”.
“I think if he (O’Hara) was making a political donation he would fall within it (prohibited donor),” Tudehope said.
Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer said Tudehope “must have been surprised” by the “fake and bogus invoices” the Reformers sent to O’Hara for “fake consultancy arrangements”?
“Correct,” Tudehope responded.
“I just don’t know why anyone would have engaged in that sort of behaviour”.
ICAC assistant commissioner Fabian Gleeson SC, overseeing the hearings, interjected: “Does one word come to mind? Concealment”?
Tudehope responded: “Well, illegal concealment, call it what you like”.
“Illegal concealment, call it what you like” — Tudehope
Tudehope, a NSW upper house MP, was NSW finance minister from 2019 to 2023, under Premier Gladys Berejiklian and then Premier Dominic Perrottet.
The ICAC heard Tudehope in 2018 held an event “for about 50 people” at his home, at which “conservative commentator Miranda Devine” gave an an address.
O’Hara and key NSW Reformers, Robert Assaf and Christian Ellis, and also attended the event.
“You introduced Mr Ellis to Michael O’Hara that me may be able to help financially?” Dwyer asked.
Tudehope responded: “I don’t resile from that”.
O’Hara then gave $25,000 to the NSW Reformers, and a further $15,000 in March 2019.
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Michael O’Hara fronts the ICAC hearings last week. Source: The Klaxon
Tudehope said he didn’t recall being made aware of the amounts of money.
“Quite frankly I would have been surprised by that amount of money, so it’s something I would have recalled,” Tudehope said.
The ICAC also heard Tudehope personally gave money to the NSW Reformers, including on one occasion providing $340 to fund the hiring of a venue for a speaking event.
The NSW Reformers held talks on topics including “children versus radical gender ideology” and “religious freedom” and then sough to sign up attendees to the Liberal Party.
The group sought to recruit “Christian conservatives” in order to stack branches of the NSW Liberal Party to favour hard-right policies.
The ICAC has heard the NSW Reformers sought to “enrol about 1,000 Christian conservatives by 2019”.
Tudehope said he spoke at a number of the events, on “social issues I was a warrior for”.
At one 2018 event he spoke alongside former Prime Minister, now Liberal Party president Tony Abbott.
Tudehope told the inquiry he had been “aligned” with Abbott.
The ICAC heard Tudehope was kept abreast of the activities of the NSW Reformers.
A number of messages between Tudehope and NSW Reformers members were read to the inquiry.
In a 2018 message, Ellis wrote to Tudehope: “Thanks for today Damien, 18 new sign ups”.
Tudehope responds: “Well done Christian”.
In another, Ellis apologises for a low turnout.
“Hi Damien, Christian here, apologies for the weekend, we assumed numbers would be a bit higher….we we’ll try and target members of the Mormon community”.
The hearings continue.
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Anthony Klan
Editor, The Klaxon
