{
  "id": 5844387,
  "title": "The 'loyal foot soldiers' who sought to reshape the NSW Liberal Party",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/the-loyal-foot-soldiers-who-sought-to-reshape-the-nsw-liberal-party",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-05T21:31:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-06/nsw-icac-inside-reformers-conservative-nsw-liberal-party-faction/107113986"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Reformers, a network of young, zealous conservatives, set out to reshape the NSW Liberal Party in their own image. Founded by lobbyists Christian Ellis and Robert Assaf in 2018, the group recruited like-minded individuals and worked to influence the party's internal politics. Some of the group's key figures, including the Perrottet brothers, Charles and Jean-Claude, shared a deep-rooted conservative upbringing stemming from their time at Redfield College, a Catholic school with conservative traditions. The college's ties to the conservative organization Opus Dei were also noted during ICAC's public hearings. Despite their conservative beliefs and aspirations, some of the Reformers' actions, such as unlawful political donations and branch stacking, came under scrutiny from the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). As the allegations continue to unfold, it remains to be seen what role the Reformers played in the party's alleged conspiracy to take control.",
  "summary": "Take a look inside the workings of the right-wing Liberal faction at the centre of NSW ICAC's Operation Rosny.",
  "key_points": [
    "Reformers, a network of young conservatives, aimed to reshape NSW Liberal Party.",
    "Founded by Christian Ellis and Robert Assaf in 2018, group recruited like-minded individuals."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}