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Icac witness asked about ‘filthy schools money’ messages – as it happened

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 3101 words · By Nick Visser; Achol Arok; Krishani Dhanji; Penry Buckley; Caitlin Cassidy; Luca Ittimani; Sarah Collard; Donna Lu; Cait Kelly; Benita Kolovos; Ian Sample; Ben Smee; Tom McIlroy; Jonathan Barrett
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What to know about Icac witness asked about ‘filthy schools money’ messages – as it happened

Icac witness asked about ‘filthy schools money’ messages Penry Buckley Returning to the NSW Icac’s Operation Rosny, Jean-Claude Perrottet has been asked about messages read out on the first day of the inquiry.

Claims checked 24
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left17%
Center66%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Icac witness asked about ‘filthy schools money’ messages Penry Buckley Returning to the NSW Icac’s Operation Rosny, Jean-Claude Perrottet has been asked about messages read out on the first day of the inquiry.

Why it matters

On 12 January 2023, Reformer Jeremy Greenwood allegedly wrote to him: Hey, so you know how I’m good to you and help you and give you all your filthy schools money … and put up with your fucking whining?

Common ground

Jean-Claude Perrottet wrote back: “Don’t put that in writing.” Greenwood replied: “It deletes.” Counsel assisting Juliet Curtin asks if the messages are “because it wasn’t money that you or he were being paid for any work that you were doing for Catholic…

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/aug/06/australia-news-live-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 24 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 14
check_circle Corroborated 5
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info Single Source 1
cancel Disputed 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “The federal parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is continuing this week, with hearings held in Melbourne.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm a federal parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate, and violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, specifically mentioning hearings held in Naarm/Melbourne.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Indigenous Australians are the various Aboriginal Australian peoples of Australia, and the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. The terms Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peop…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australians
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Torres Strait Islanders ( TORR-iss) are the Indigenous Melanesian peoples of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal pe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torres_Strait_Islanders
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Torres Strait Islands are an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait, a waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Gu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torres_Strait_Islands
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “The SA Ambulance Service said two people have been taken to the Royal Adelaide hospital.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 3: “Nassif, who fled Australia for regional Lebanon in 2022”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 4: “Beckington, set up by Reformers Christian Ellis and Jeremy Greenwood in 2019, received payments from prohibited donor, hotelier Michael O’Hara, for factional work, after issuing fake invoices for consulting advice.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 5: “Elliott retired after his seat was abolished and he was unable to convince local branches in Castle Hill to make him the candidate.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 6: “A Sydney man has been sentenced after being found guilty of sending online threats to a federal parliamentarian.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists only of general Wikipedia definitions of the word 'man'. No evidence regarding a Sydney man being sentenced for threats to a parliamentarian was provided.
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web search NEUTRAL — Male anatomy is distinguished from female anatomy by the male reproductive system, which includes the testicles, sperm ducts, prostate gland and epididymides, and penis. Secondary sex characteristics …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man
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web search NEUTRAL — The term man (from Proto-Germanic *mann- 'person') and words derived from it can designate any or even all of the human race regardless of their sex or age. In traditional usage, man (without an artic…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_(word)
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web search NEUTRAL — After boys reach maturity, they can be called a man. Like most other male mammals, a man inherits an X chromosome from his mother and a Y chromosome from his father.
https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man
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Claim 7: “The head of investigations and current affairs at the ABC, Jo Puccini, has resigned”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 8: “An investigation into the veracity of sources used on two programs hosted by Fazal, that aired in 2023 and 2024, are ongoing.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 9: “Locals have been urged to evacuate immediately after a fire in Port Adelaide at an industrial shed used to store sulphur began producing large volumes of toxic smoke.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 10: “Jean-Claude Perrottet travelled to Fiji to avoid being served a summons to appear at the inquiry.”
CORROBORATED
Evidence from The Guardian confirms that Jean-Claude Perrottet was in Fiji and that he avoided the parliamentary inquiry in 2023 while there.
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web search NEUTRAL — The inquiry heard Greenwood wrote to Jean-Claude Perrottet “to send food photos” from Fiji, and that the latter negotiated a $165,000 employment contract with Catholic Schools NSW while he avoided the…
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/12/membe…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jeremy Greenwood met with Jean-Claude Perrottet at the Oaks, a pub in Double Bay, after Greenwood gave evidence to the ICAC. They placed their phones at a different table to avoid being surveilled, th…
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/icac-operation-rosny-liv…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jean-Claude Perrottet is the brother of former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet and was a member of the Reformers faction. Counsel assisting the commissioner, Peggy Dwyer SC, alleged the money referred t…
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/icac-inquiry-filthy-s…
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Claim 11: “Members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian church and the rightwing lobby group Advance will appear at a parliamentary inquiry reviewing the 2025 federal election.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and the lobby group Advance are facing summonses or are scheduled to appear before a federal parliamentary inquiry regarding the 2025 election.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. The Gospels state that Jesus is the Son of God and rose from the dead after his crucifixion, whose com…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Evangelicalism (), also called Evangelical Christianity or Evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the pre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelicalism
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) is an introversionist sect within the evangelical Christian movement and the most well-known branch of the Exclusive Brethren, a group that emerged from t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Brethren_Christian_Ch…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 12: “The Labor MP Jerome Laxale, chair of the committee, says the two groups have confirmed they will attend the next public hearing on 21 August”
DISPUTED
There is conflicting evidence. One source (Mirage News) states Jerome Laxale said they will appear on 21 August, while another (Exclusive Brethren, Advance to be summonsed...) states Laxale said both groups had declined to appear and might be compulsorily summonsed.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A federal election was held on 3 May 2025 to elect members of the 48th Parliament of Australia. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election, along with 40 of the 76 seats in the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Australian_federal_electi…
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web search NEUTRAL — I thank the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and Advance for confirming their upcoming attendance to provide evidence to the Committee as we further consider these important issues. Share. Updated a…
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/aug/06/…
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web search NEUTRAL — Labor MP Jerome Laxale, the chairman of the parliamentary committee investigating the conduct of the election, said in a statement that both groups had declined to appear. He would invite both again, …
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/exclusive-…
+ 1 more evidence source
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Claim 13: “The 31-year-old was arrested after police seized electronic devices during a search of his Bankstown home in December last year.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim.
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Claim 14: “NSW Liberal upper house member Damien Tudehope admitted leaking the report to Reformer Jeremy Greenwood”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that Liberal MP Damien Tudehope obtained a confidential draft report from a parliamentary committee and leaked it to Jeremy Greenwood.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Liberal’s leader in the upper house, Tudehope, who is not named in the Icac allegations, has stepped aside from his shadow cabinet roles during the inquiry.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/05/nsw-l…
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web search NEUTRAL — Greenwood ‘disagrees’ Tudehope leaking report was wrong.As we reported last week, a member of the NSW upper house, Liberal MP Damien Tudehope, obtained a confidential draft report from a parliamentary…
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/icac-operation-rosny-liv…
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web search NEUTRAL — Damien Tudehope said he had encouraged his son James to appear "but he's obtaining his own advice". Photo: Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS. A senior Liberal has refused to be drawn on whether his son will…
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9323491/tragic-libera…
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Claim 15: “Prime minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the general secretary and president of Vietnam, To Lam, to Australia next week.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 16: “Melbourne’s auction clearance rate last week rose to a 12-week high of 54.7%, though the national rate fell to 48.9%”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 17: “The leaders will meet in Canberra on Tuesday, 11 August”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 18: “Almost 600 childcare services were shut down in the latest quarter, a twentyfold increase on the same quarter last year”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence consists only of dictionary definitions for 'nearly' and unrelated Wikipedia entries for a telescope, a museum, and a power plant. No evidence regarding childcare service shutdowns was found.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The RATAN-600 (Russian: РАТАН-600 – радиоастрономический телескоп Академии наук – 600, an acronym for the "Academy of Sciences Radio Telescope – 600") is a radio telescope in Zelenchukskaya, Karachay–…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RATAN-600
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Sanxingdui Museum (三星堆博物馆) is a public heritage museum in Guanghan, Sichuan, China. The museum is located in the northeast corner of the ruins of Sanxingdui, which is at the bank of Duck River in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanxingdui_Museum
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, also known as Plant Vogtle ( VOH-gəl), is a four-unit nuclear power plant located in Burke County, near Waynesboro, Georgia, in the southeastern United S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogtle_Electric_Generating_Pla…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 19: “around 350,000 Australians have Vietnamese heritage.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 20: “A 38-year-old man has been arrested after an alleged stabbing outside a shopping centre in Sydney’s west.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 21: “He was sentenced to a Community Corrections Order and fined $5,000.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim.
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Claim 22: “The corruption watchdog is examining a second allegation that between 2020 and 2023, Nassif and his company Toplace made prohibited donations solicited or accepted by Christian Ellis, Jeremy Greenwood and Charles Perrottet”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 23: “a 53-year-old man before taking him to Westmead Hospital in a serious condition.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 24: “The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters’ interim report, released last month, the committee said Australia’s democracy had come “under assault” at the last federal election from “significant third parties”.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that a parliamentary committee's interim report discussed 'significant third parties' running campaigns without transparency, aligning with the claim that democracy was under assault.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Parliamentary committees of the Australian House of Representatives are groups of Members of Parliament, appointed by the House of Representatives, to undertake certain specified tasks. They comprise …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_House_of_Representa…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of the standing committees of the National Assembly of Nigeria. There are currently 57 standing committees in the Nigerian Senate, while the House of Representatives currently has 89 st…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_committees_of_the_Nati…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) is the permanent organ of the National People's Congress (NPC), the supreme organ of state power of the People's Republic of China. It …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Committee_of_the_Nati…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.