Cults, setups and rumours: years after their downfalls, former NSW Liberal MPs are exacting revenge

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Aug 21, 2026 · 1628 words · By Anne Davies

Political Vendettas Internal Liberal Party Conflict ICAC Investigations

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What to know about Political Vendettas

Revenge, they say, is a dish best served cold.

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left33%

Center34%

Right33%

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

What happened

Revenge, they say, is a dish best served cold.

Why it matters

It’s been almost four years since the former New South Wales MP, David Elliott, announced that he would not seek preselection for a seat in the Hills in greater Sydney after his own seat was abolished.

Common ground

He had realised that, thanks to branch stacking in his area, he stood no chance of securing another.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Political Vendettas story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating allegations of illegal secret donations from property developers and others that were used to fund branch-stacking operations in breach of the NSW Electoral Funding Act?
How does this story connect Political Vendettas with Internal Liberal Party Conflict over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/22/cults-setups-and-devastat…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

schedule Pending 4

info Single Source 2

verified Verified 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating allegations of illegal secret donations from property developers and others that were used to fund branch-stacking operations in breach of the NSW Electoral Funding Act.”

CORROBORATED

Both The Guardian and a report on Operation Rosny confirm that ICAC is investigating illegal secret donations from property developers used for branch-stacking in breach of the NSW Electoral Funding Act.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Daryl William Maguire (born 25 March 1959) is a former Australian politician who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Wagga Wagga for the Liberal Party from 1999 to 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daryl_Maguire

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charlestown is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It has been represented by Jodie Harrison of the Labor Party since the Charlestown by-elect…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_district_of_Charlest…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “He [David Elliott] is not a person of interest in the investigation, and appeared only as a witness.”

CORROBORATED

Yahoo News Australia explicitly states 'David Elliott is not accused of wrongdoing' and 'is not a person of interest'. The Guardian reports he was the target of surveillance for false allegations, supporting his status as a witness/victim rather than a target.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gladys Berejiklian (Armenian: Գլեդիս Բերեջիկլյան, romanized: Gledis Berejiklyan; born 22 September 1970) is an Australian businesswoman and former politician who served as the 45th premier of New Sout…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_Berejiklian

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is an agency of the Government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for eliminating and investigating corrupt activities and enhancing …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Commission_Against…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Andrew Elliott (born 11 June 1970) is an Australian former politician. Elliott served as the New South Wales Minister for Transport and the Minister for Veterans in the Perrottet ministry betwee…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Elliott_(politician)

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 3: “Chris Spence... in 2022 was serving as chief of staff to Roberts.”

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 4: “Nassif’s company, Toplace, was behind two large developments at Castle Hill – Skyline and Atmosphere – and was seeking approval for another at Cherrybrook”

SINGLE SOURCE

While web results confirm Toplace is owned by Nassif and has projects in Castle Hill (Skyview), the specific combination of 'Skyline', 'Atmosphere', and a 'Cherrybrook' approval is not explicitly corroborated across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Some Toplace-owned development sites were little more than muddy holes in the ground. The Box Hill City Centre was touted by Toplace as a regional shopping hub with 660 apartments, but only a concrete…
https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/can-t-afford-to-sell-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Toplace Skyview Developments. The Skyview apartment project at Old Castle Hill Road, Castle Hill, NSW. Toplace and Nassif cannot take on new contracts without the approval of NCAT and the Commissioner…
https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/toplace-director-…

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web search NEUTRAL — The two-bedroom apartment at Toplace's Vicinity complex in Sydney was meant to be their "nest egg", a place to build memories for the young family. Nine years and two more children later, his family h…
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-19/owners-sydney-defect-…

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Claim 5: “developer Jean Nassif, who is now a fugitive in Lebanon”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (YouTube, ICAC Operation Rosny reports) explicitly describe Jean Nassif as a 'fugitive property developer' giving evidence via video link from Lebanon.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is also the world's fifth-largest country by area and the seventh-largest by population, with over 214…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeddah is the largest city in Mecca Province, the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, and the country’s main commercial center. It is in the Hejaz region on the Red Sea coast. The city’…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeddah

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web search NEUTRAL — Fugitive property developer Jean Nassif has declared he is "not hiding" as he gives evidence to the NSW corruption watchdog from his bedroom in Lebanon.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-15/fugitive-developer-je…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “In late July 2022, Petinos was sacked by Perrottet. The reason given at the time was claims of her bullying of staff.”

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 7: “Despite being a senior minister for eight years in the Baird, Berejiklian and Perrottet Liberal governments”

VERIFIED

The Guardian explicitly states he was a senior minister for eight years in the Baird, Berejiklian, and Perrottet governments. Wikipedia confirms his role in the Perrottet ministry, and other sources confirm the sequence of the three governments.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dominic Francis Perrottet ( PERR-oh-TAY; born 21 September 1982) is an Australian politician who served as the 46th premier of New South Wales from 2021 to 2023. He held office as leader of the New So…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_Perrottet

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “Nassif is a person of interest in the Icac inquiry and has an arrest warrant out relating to alleged fraud involving multimillion dollar loans to Toplace.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results regarding LSEG pricing and software, providing no information about Jean Nassif's arrest warrant or fraud allegations.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 伦敦证券交易所集团 (LSEG) 提供全球连接服务（Group Member Access）。接入生成环境服务的最低连接速率要求为 2Mbps，如果选择白银、黄金和铂金等级服务，LCH 还将提供具备冗余的端口，且费用已包含在下方的定价中。以下列出了会员需承担的一次性费用及月度 ...
https://www.lseg.com.cn/zh/post-trade/clearing/membership/lt…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jan 1, 2026 · Clients onboarding through the LSEG Trading Launchpad may receive a 25% discount on applicable products for their first 12 months, subject to programme terms.
https://www.lseg.com/en/post-trade/regulatory-reporting/solu…

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web search NEUTRAL — This guide is updated regularly to reflect recent LSEG pricing and negotiation trends. Consider revisiting it ahead of any new purchase or renewal to account for changing market conditions.
https://www.vendr.com/marketplace/refinitiv

help

Claim 9: “A former Liberal staffer and associate of the Reformers, Dylan Whitelaw, gave evidence to the inquiry in July and accepted under cross-examination from Elliott’s lawyer that no affair had taken place.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for Dylan Whitelaw's testimony regarding David Elliott.

verified

Claim 10: “Several Toplace buildings have been slapped with rectification orders by the NSW building commissioner, David Chandler”

VERIFIED

The Guardian explicitly states that several Toplace buildings were slapped with rectification orders by NSW building commissioner David Chandler.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Several Toplace buildings have been slapped with rectification orders by the NSW building commissioner, David Chandler (more on him later). Elliott told Icac that at first, Nassif had tried to woo him…
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/22/cults…

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web search NEUTRAL — NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler was given the job of restoring faith in the construction industry. Credit: Kate Geraghty.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/faith-no-more-owners-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Former building commissioner David Chandler told inquiry of clashes with ‘loud and overbearing’ developer Jean Nassif allegedly warned.
https://www.soz6.com/news/if-you-harm-my-project-i-ll-harm-y…

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Claim 11: “Stuart Ayres... was afforded weeks of support over another controversial issue – the appointment of John Barilaro as a trade representative to New York – before he was required to stand down.”

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 12: “former New South Wales MP, David Elliott, announced that he would not seek preselection for a seat in the Hills in greater Sydney after his own seat was abolished”

CORROBORATED

The Guardian and Mandurah Mail both report that David Elliott's seat (Baulkham Hills) was abolished and that he would not seek preselection for a seat in the Hills.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elliott Pershing Stitzel (November 27, 1918 – May 21, 2005), better known by his stage name Stephen Elliott, was an American actor. His best known roles were that of the prospective father-in-law, Bur…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Elliott_(actor)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — David William Smith (born September 21, 1960), known professionally as David James Elliott, is a Canadian actor. He was the star of the series JAG, playing lead character Harmon Rabb Jr. from 1995 to …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_James_Elliott

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 13: “Dominic Perrottet is not under investigation and is not a person of interest.”

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.

help

Claim 14: “Charles Perrottet has been named as a person of interest in Icac in relation to allegations concerning illegal donations from Jean Nassif.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for Charles Perrottet being named as a person of interest in relation to Jean Nassif.

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.