The chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW, Dallas McInerney, has denied deliberately destroying evidence after resetting his work phone and iPad while appearing before the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
McInerney told the inquiry on Wednesday that he had performed a factory reset on the devices over the weekend, days after giving evidence to the commission. The reset erased data from the devices, including potentially relevant messages.
The inquiry heard that McInerney was asked on Friday to provide messages between himself and Liberal Party figure Jean-Claude Perrottet from 2021. He said he reset the devices after his bank, NAB, alerted him that his account had allegedly been compromised by an unknown merchant.
Counsel assisting the inquiry, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, suggested the factory reset was a “transparent attempt” to remove evidence that could have been important to the investigation. McInerney rejected the suggestion, saying the banking incident was the reason for the reset and that he could provide the commission with the bank’s case file number.
The inquiry also examined McInerney’s relationship with members of a Christian Liberal faction that is being investigated over allegations involving illegal donations. McInerney, described as a factional ally of Angus Taylor, was questioned about efforts to arrange a meeting between Taylor and Christian Ellis in 2020.
Evidence presented to ICAC included messages in which Ellis repeatedly contacted McInerney about arranging a meeting with Taylor, who was then federal energy minister. Ellis later apologised for repeatedly asking, writing that he knew he was “being a pest” and asking whether McInerney had managed to secure a meeting.
The investigation continues to examine political relationships, fundraising activities and alleged corruption involving figures connected to the NSW Liberal Party. McInerney has denied allegations of wrongdoing and maintains that his decision to reset the devices was unrelated to the ICAC investigation.
