Tudehope says key Reformer Jean-Claude Perrottet had ‘a talent’ for party recruitment

NSW Liberal right-wing elder Damien Tudehope has told a corruption hearing that ensuring party membership numbers stay strong in branches is crucial for an MP’s political survival, and described operative Jean-Claude Perrottet as having a talent for keeping members signed-up.

Tudehope appeared before the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Tuesday, where he was asked about membership renewals and recruitment as the inquiry probes illegal donations to the Liberal Party.

Tudehope, who told the commission he has had a “love-hate relationship with the Liberal Party” since he first signed up in the 1970s, rejoined again in 2008 and has remained a member since.

He was elected to parliament in 2015. He is not accused of any wrongdoing in this ICAC inquiry.

The senior MP, who has stood aside from Liberal Leader Kellie Sloane’s frontbench pending the ICAC probe, was asked about his relationship with the Perrottet family, including former premier Dominic Perrottet.

Counsel assisting Dr Peggy Dwyer, SC, asked Tudehope: “You and Dom Perrottet have been close colleagues and friends for many years?” Tudehope responded: “I’ve known Dom all his life.” He also said that one of his sons was friends with another Perrottet brother, Charles.

Tudehope was then asked about employing Jean-Claude Perrottet, the youngest Perrottet brother, in his ministerial and parliamentary office. Tudehope acknowledged that Jean-Claude was particularly good at encouraging members to join the Liberal Party and renew their membership.

“Jean-Claude had a talent for that sort of thing,” Tudehope told the commission.

Earlier, the commission heard that retired Sydney businessman and NSW Liberal member Frits Mare was asked to hand over $50,000 to fund a call centre to stack branches with the goal of unseating the sitting federal MP Alex Hawke.

Mare appeared before the ICAC on Tuesday morning and detailed a meeting he had with Reformers members Christian Ellis and Jean-Claude Perrottet.

Mare told the commission about a meeting with Perrottet and Ellis in which they asked for $50,000 to unseat Hawke from the federal seat of Mitchell.

He recalled that Ellis told him they wanted to set up a call centre to recruit younger people into the Liberal Party with the goal of getting enough members to vote out Hawke. Hawke was a factional enemy of the Reformers, the religious right-wing group at the core of this inquiry.

Ellis told Mare they needed $50,000 to set up the call centre.

“I said that’s a lot of money, have you done a budget to work out how it’s going to be spent,” Mare told the commission.

Ellis had not devised a budget. He said they would need to pay people to staff the call centre, which Mare said was surprising because in his mind recruitment was usually done voluntarily.

Mare never paid any money and said he did not want to get involved in factional issues.

Multiple text messages and records of unanswered phone calls from Perrottet were read to the commission, but Mare said he often did not reply.

“I had no interest in getting involved in factional issues,” Mare said. “I’d say 95 per cent is one-way traffic from him to me.”

Further reading

Here are some of the highlights from the first week of our coverage.