ICAC hearings expose alleged shakedown plot and secret deals in Liberal faction

The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has heard explosive allegations of a right-wing faction within the Liberal Party plotting to extort $10,000 from federal minister Angus Taylor. Testimony from a party staffer described a plan to 'shake down' Taylor, alongside revelations of secret $2 million deals, phone taps, and references to 'filthy money'. The hearings have placed Taylor inadvertently at the centre of a probe into factional behaviour that could undermine public confidence in the government. Witnesses have admitted memory failures under questioning, complicating the narrative. The ICAC inquiry continues, with potential fallout for the Liberal Party's internal dynamics and its standing with voters. The commission is scrutinising whether the faction's activities constitute corrupt conduct, and the outcome may reshape party rules on fundraising and factional operations.