Teachers demand more scrutiny of Catholic school funding amid allegations of ‘sham arrangement’ with NSW Liberal group
Summary
The Independent Education Union in New South Wales has called for more checks on how Catholic Schools NSW spends public money after a corruption inquiry looked into payments made to a lobbying firm linked to a political faction. The inquiry is investigating whether funds were wrongly used to support a group pushing conservative policies within the Liberal Party, but the Catholic Schools NSW CEO denied any misuse.Key Facts
- The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is investigating Catholic Schools NSW funding.
- The inquiry focuses on payments made to lobbying companies Beckington and JPG Advisory between 2019 and 2023.
- These firms are linked to the Christian faction group called the Reformers, which supports conservative causes like opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.
- Catholic Schools NSW oversees funding for about 600 schools and receives about 80% of its money from federal and state governments.
- The union for independent school teachers says public funds may have been wrongly spent on political activities.
- Catholic Schools NSW CEO Dallas McInerney denied the payments were a “sham arrangement” and has temporarily stepped aside during the inquiry.
- The NSW Premier has not agreed to an independent audit while ICAC investigates.
- There are allegations that some people involved received secret payments after contracts were awarded.
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