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EXCLUSIVE
The website of a “lobbying” firm tied to a brother of NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet – who refused to give evidence to a parliamentary inquiry — has been erased from the internet.
As revealed by The Klaxon last week, one of the “lobbying” firms named in the inquiry, Macquarie Consulting, is 100 per cent owned by Anita Perrottet, the wife of Charles Perrottet.
A highly-detailed dossier tendered by the NSW upper house inquiry now reveals the website of Macquarie Consulting was deleted sometime after October 9.
It further reveals that the since deleted website describes the “expertise” of Macquarie Consulting as “facilitating” partnerships with “governments” — despite the firm not being a registered lobbyist.
The NSW upper house inquiry is investigating allegations senior Liberal figures were paid “substantial amounts of money” by controversial property developer Jean Nassif to fund the stacking of Sydney’s The Hills Shire Council to get developments approved.
It is alleged those payments were made through “lobbying” or “consulting” companies.
Colourful Sydney property developer Jean Nassif is at the heart of the scandal. Source: The Klaxon
The dossier also reveals the contact person for the since deleted Macquarie Consulting website has been changed, from “Charles Perrottet” to “Anita Macron” — Anita Perrotet’s maiden name.
The revelations follow Premier Perrottet backflipping on his long held claim that his family should be “left out” of media coverage of the scandal, on Friday saying wrongdoers “should have the book thrown at them”, regardless of who they are.
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The dossier is one of three highly-detailed documents containing information directly tied to the matters investigated that was provided to the inquiry by an unknown source.
It reveals Macquarie Consulting had a detailed website — and that parts of that site can still be accessed via web archive site Wayback Machine (here).
“Our expertise expertise lies in facilitating enduring partnerships between stakeholders and governments,” says Macquarie Consulting’s deleted site.
“Our industry experience and commercial understanding spans both the public and private sector.”
Part of the since deleted website for Macquarie Consulting. Source: Wayback Machine
Macquarie Consulting says it “understands the full impact” government decisions can “have on businesses”.
The site says it is important to ensure that “decision-makers are fully informed” of the “potential unintended consequences of the policy options available to them”.
Searches show Macquarie Consulting is not, and has never been, a registered lobbyist.
“Macquarie Consulting is not, and has never been, a registered lobbyist”
Part of a forensic dossier provided the inquiry. Source: NSW Legislative Council
The dossier also shows that the “registrant contact” and the “tech contact” for the Macquarie Consulting website have been changed.
A search of website domain administration service Whois on October 9, showed the “registrant contact” and the “tech contact” for the site at that time was “Charles Perrottet”.
Yet a later search, on February 14, revealed those details had been changed to “Anita Macron”, the dossier states.
Christian Ellis allegedly “hiding in forrest” on NSW-Victoria border. Source: The Klaxon
Charles Perrottet and Jean-Claude Perrottet — also a brother of the NSW Premier — were among four people sought by the NSW upper house inquiry in an unprecedented, statewide manhunt last month.
The other two were Christian Ellis and his mother, Virginia Ellis, who was appointed to the Hills Shire Council in December 2021.
The inquiry was wound up last week, with the NSW Parliament entering “caretaker” provisions ahead of the March 25 election.
Macquarie Consulting was named at an inquiry hearing on February 16.
As revealed by The Klaxon last week, Anita Perrottet is the sole director and 100 per cent owner of Macquarie Consulting, and has been since it was founded in August 2020.
How The Klaxon broke the story last week. Source: The Klaxon
Anita Perrottet is listed as the contact person on the since deleted Macquarie Consulting website.
The dossier states the Macquarie Consulting website “claims experience in government relations” and “the capability to understand numerous industries”.
Yet Anita Perrottet’s LinkedIn profile “shows that her work experience is mostly limited to marketing”.
Part of a forensic dossier provided the inquiry. Source: NSW Legislative Council
Macquarie Consulting Pty Ltd has no connection to the financial giant Macquarie Group, although Anita Perrottet’s LinkedIn bio states she worked as a marketing specialist with Macquarie Group for five months in 2009-2010.
Charles Perrottet and Anita Perrottet refused to respond to The Klaxon’s requests for comment.
As previously revealed, the “registered address” of Macquarie Consulting is an accounting firm in regional NSW run by colourful businessman Roy Spagnolo, whose failed property development companies owe millions of dollars to the tax office.
The Klaxon put questions to each of Anita and Charles Perrottet on February 21.
Revolving Doors
It is alleged a far right “Christian” faction of the NSW Liberal Party called the NSW Reformers were behind the stacking of the Hills Shire Council, which saw the mayor and six other councillors — all Liberals — replaced in December 2021.
Charles Perrottet, Jean-Claude Perrottet and Christian Ellis are all alleged to be key figures in the NSW Reformers.
Last Thursday the NSW upper house inquiry heard Ellis was hiding out in a remote forest on the NSW-Victorian border and had been spotted in a vehicle in a “black ski mask”.
The fourth person the inquiry sought to summons was Christian Ellis’ mother Virginia Ellis who was appointed to the Hills Shire Council in 2021.
On February 8 the NSW upper house inquiry moved to “summons” the four witnesses after they failed to respond to invitations to appear, sparking national headlines.
On February 20, Charles Perrottet wrote to the inquiry refusing to atend and stating had “resided in Victoria since January 2021″.
The inquiry does not have the power to force people outside NSW to attend.
“I will not be attending your Labor/Greens circus,” he wrote.
Its final report was highly-damning of the “missing” witnesses, describing their refusal to be “served” by the inquiry (and so forced to appear and give evidence) being “unprecedented”.
Turnstile: Charles Perrottet immediately went from working for the NSW Resources Minister to become BP’s “Government Affairs Manager”. Source: LinkedIn
Charle’s Perrottet’s email shows he has worked for BP since 2014.
The Klaxon called BP and spokesman Hamish Fitzsimmons said he would not put us in touch with Charles Perrottet.
We sent Fitzsimmons a series of questions for Perrottet.
“This is not the correct channel through which to be contacting Mr Perrottet as this does not related to his employment,” Fitzsimmons responded.
Charles Perrottet’s LinkedIn bio states he started as “government affairs manager” at the fossil fuels giant in January 2014.
That was immediately after leaving his job as deputy chief-of-staff to then Liberal NSW resources minister Chris Hartcher.
(Hartcher was replaced as resources minister when Premier Barry O’Farrell resigned as NSW Premier in December 2013.)
Fossil fuels giant BP apparently assisting Charles Perrottet in his bid to evade scrutiny.
Charles Perrottet’s bio states he “led the Minister for Resources and Energy’s policy team” where he “advised on all resource energy industry related matters”, including a $2 billion privatisation deal.
Immediately after leaving he began at BP, where he had been recruited to “manage BP’s external stakeholders” which involved “building strong and enduring relationships with policy makers, influencers and industry associations”.
“I formulated BP’s strategic position on public policy issues, engaging all affected internal business units…to ensure advocacy aligned with a whole of business advantage,” his LinkedIn bio states.
“I was responsible for BP’s government submissions and where required provided oral evidence to parliamentary inquiries” – Charles Perrottet
He has held several roles at BP, including “Head of Commercial Fuels – Australia”, where his responsibilities included driving fuel sales and “delivering best-in-class bulk fuel supply” including to “government, mining services and logistics sectors”.
Since January 2021 his title has been “General Manager — Global Mining Decarbonisation”, his profile states.
In its final report Thursday, the NSW upper house inquiry calls for the matters to be referred to the ICAC and for the NSW Local Government Minister to launch an investigation and consider putting the Hills Shire Council in administration.
It also calls for a new parliamentary inquiry to be launched after the March 25 NSW election, “with Christian Ellis, Charles Perrottet, Jean Nassif and Jean-Claude Perrottet to be called to give evidence”.
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