Robert Assaf admits faction funds were used for a bucks party

Herz — World Desk · 31 July 2026 at 07:02 · 30s summary · 3 min read

What is known

Robert Assaf admitted on Friday, July 31, 2026, that funds belonging to his faction had been used to pay for a bucks party, according to ABC.

The NSW Reformers are described as a conservative Christian faction within the New South Wales Liberal Party and are associated with several central figures in the inquiry.

Assaf said members treated the money as an advance for personal expenses and intended to repay it.

He could not remember whether the party was for his own wedding or Christian Ellis's. He also suggested that the event may have been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What the anti-corruption inquiry is examining

The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating whether people linked to the state's Liberal Party sought money from prohibited donors and other sources to advance the interests of the NSW Reformers.

Assaf was questioned about “false invoices” and money transfers routed through Beckington, a lobbying company founded by Christian Ellis and Jeremy Greenwood.

He said payments from hotelier Michael O'Hara had passed through Beckington as part of a “delicate” tax arrangement. He denied that the transactions were intended to conceal illegal political donations.

The inquiry is examining whether O'Hara, described as a prohibited donor, made undeclared political donations above the applicable caps.

Robert Assaf's position

On Thursday, July 30, 2026, Assaf said he did not believe political fundraising laws applied to the NSW Reformers because he viewed the group as an internal party faction rather than a separate political organisation.

On Friday, July 31, 2026, he maintained that he understood the legal concept of a prohibited political donor but did not believe the group was breaking the law.

“simply delicate”

— Robert Assaf's description of an invoice examined during the inquiry

Commissioner Fabian Gleeson questioned Assaf about that description of an invoice for consulting services that had never been provided.

The funding attributed to Angus Taylor

The inquiry heard that Dallas McInerney, head of Catholic Schools NSW, had discussed seeking financial support from factional ally Angus Taylor, the federal opposition leader. No wrongdoing is alleged against Taylor in the material presented.

A group message said Taylor had provided 15,000 dollars, followed by 3,000 dollars a month for the group's work.

That account is disputed. Assaf said the initial payment never occurred and that he could not recall any minister giving the group money.