Lobbyist defends ‘shit sheet’ on former Liberal MP despite admitting he knew ‘there was no affair’, Icac hears

Lobbyist Admits to Fabricated Affair Claims in Document Targeting Former Colleague

Wanderstayfinder.com – A prominent Sydney-based lobbying consultant has acknowledged commissioning a disparaging document about a former Liberal Party parliamentarian while fully aware that one of its key allegations was false. Jeremy Greenwood provided testimony on Tuesday before the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s Operation Rosny inquiry, revealing he knew the supposed extramarital affair mentioned in the file did not exist.

Greenwood, who faces two separate allegations from the state’s corruption watchdog, is one of three Liberal Party figures accused of receiving donations from Jean Nassif, a property developer currently living abroad after being declared a fugitive. The payments are alleged to have been made in exchange for political outcomes, including efforts to undermine the career of David Elliott, a former New South Wales minister.

The “Shit Sheet” Document

The inquiry examined a file titled “David Elliott shit sheet.docx,” which Greenwood emailed to himself in December 2020. Dylan Whitelaw, a former Beckington employee, had previously testified that Greenwood asked him to contribute to the document. Greenwood confirmed this account but clarified that he did not author the section referencing an “extramarital affair.”

Under cross-examination, Whitelaw acknowledged that no such affair had occurred. Following this testimony, Elliott released a public statement denying the allegations. Greenwood then admitted that when he circulated the document with the intention of damaging Elliott’s reputation, he was already aware the affair claim was inaccurate.

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

Despite acknowledging the false claim, Greenwood maintained that the document was not created to benefit Nassif. He explained that his relationship with Elliott involved ongoing tensions that predated his connection to the property developer.

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

The “Jessica” Phenomenon

Testimony on Tuesday also revealed that Beckington, the registered lobbying company Greenwood co-founded with Christian Ellis in 2019, created a fictional administrative assistant named “Jessica.” The commission is examining whether the organization was utilized by the Christian Liberal faction known as the Reformers to receive or solicit prohibited donations for party membership recruitment—a practice called branch stacking.

While branch stacking itself is legal, the Reformers faction sought to advance more conservative positions on issues including same-sex marriage, abortion, and euthanasia. ICAC has received evidence that Beckington accepted payments for factional work through fabricated invoices addressed to Michael O’Hara, a prohibited donor, and to Catholic Schools NSW.

Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC presented 2020 correspondence from Beckington to Catholic Schools NSW featuring invoices signed “Kind regards, Jessica.” When Greenwood was asked to identify the sender, he explained that Ellis had created the fake name simply for amusement.

“Jessica was a fake admin name Christian created. He just thought it was funny,” Greenwood said. “We have silly humour.”

Financial Arrangements and Testimony

Greenwood repeatedly stated that he could not remember whether Beckington paid Reformers members for factional work. However, he acknowledged making a payment of $12,000 to Jean-Claude Perrottet, the younger brother of former New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet. Dominic Perrottet is not among those named in the ICAC allegations.

“If he wanted money, we looked after him,” Greenwood said, describing Jean-Claude Perrottet as his “favourite friend.”

Ellis relocated to the United Kingdom earlier this year and has declined to provide oral testimony. Nevertheless, Greenwood insisted on Monday that his former business partner would be willing to appear before the commission. On Tuesday, Greenwood recounted a telephone conversation with Ellis at 6am via the encrypted messaging application Signal, in which Ellis inquired about the reaction to Greenwood’s statement that Ellis wanted to give evidence.

Greenwood, who continues to dispute claims that he is a member of the Reformers faction, has been asked about his involvement with various messages and communications related to the allegations. The inquiry continues to examine the financial and political connections between these Liberal Party figures, the lobbying company, and the Reformers faction during a period of significant internal party dynamics.