NSW Catholic school head key figure in corruption probe
McInerney is accused of hiring political allies and allowing them to engage in political efforts during work hours.
The head of Catholic schools in New South Wales is being investigated over claims that he hired political allies and allowed them to engage in political efforts during work hours.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption is looking into allegations that Dallas McInerney, chief executive of News South Wales Catholic schools, hired people affiliated with the center-right Liberal Party for the purpose of having them spend a significant part of their working hours on political efforts to recruit new party members.
McInerney has spent nearly 10 years leading the Catholic schools in the Australian state. He has a background in financial regulation and policy, and he previously served for years as General Manager of Government and Public Policy at National Australia Bank. He has stepped aside from his position while the investigation proceeds.
Evidence introduced in the investigation so far has indicated that a number of individuals hired by McInerney spent some or most of their time at work aiding the efforts of a political group known as the Reformers, according to local media.
The Liberal Party is the more conservative of the political parties in Australia. However, its membership holds mixed views on a number of social issues, including abortion.
A subgroup of Australia’s Liberal party, the Reformers consist of largely young Christian men who have sought to shift the Liberal party to become more conservative – particularly on moral issues such as marriage and abortion – from within the party itself.
Part of the Reformers’ strategy was to recruit social conservatives into the party in specific locations – stacking the party strategically to shift votes.
The corruption investigation will consider whether these claims, if true, constitute donations to the NSW Liberal Party that are both undeclared and over the legal limit. It will also look into whether taxpayer money was used to further political interests.
Catholic schools in New South Wales receive more than $3.6 billion in federal and state government funding, the vast majority of their budget, according to local media.
In addition to the allegations of hiring Catholic Schools NSW employees for political interests, McInerney is also accused of directing well over $100,000 to individuals within the Reformers movement. According to allegations, he was responsible for signing a contract with a Reformer-linked government relations firm, and approving inaccurate invoices from the firm.
McInerney was questioned as part of the investigation this week, particularly over a message in which he told one of the co-founders of the Reformers that he wanted to “shake down Angus [Taylor, head of the Liberal Party in the country] for 10k.”
In his testimony, McInerney acknowledged that he had asked Taylor for funding. However, he said it was for internal party elections, not to support Reformers efforts.
McInerney will face further questioning later this week. If the corruption investigation finds that he is guilty, he could face criminal charges.
The scandal has given new life to debates over the funding of Catholic and other private schools in New South Wales.
There are roughly 270,000 students who attend some 600 diocesan Catholic schools in the Australian state.
Some organizations, including the Independent Education Union of Australia, are calling for stricter oversight of educational bodies such as Catholic Schools NSW.
Others have called for the Church to lose its government funding if the investigation determines that the allegations against McInerney are correct.
The investigation into McInerney comes amid a broader probe into allegations of illegal donations to the Liberal Party.
Kellie Sloane, leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party, said she supports the corruption probe. She has moved to suspend McInerney and other party members who are currently under investigation.
New South Wales will hold a state parliamentary election next March.
Of course, if a progressive party did the same thing and promoted support for abortion and a school supervisor was supporting this actively, that would be considered normal and would not be investigated. After what New South Wales prosecutors did to Cardinal Pell, I doubt in the justice system there and would see this as another attempt by leftists to stop virtuous Catholics from doing their best for their country.
The sub line should probably read:
"McInerney is accused of hiring** political allies and..."