NSW Liberal branch‑stacking scandal implicates Christian Ellis, Sussan Ley and Carmelite nuns

Christian Ellis, a former Liberal Party power broker and state executive, is alleged to have enrolled silent Carmelite nuns from a monastery near Mathoura, New South Wales, as party members as part of a branch‑stacking operation aimed at unseating former opposition leader Sussan Ley in the federal seat of Farrer. The scheme is being investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in a public inquiry codenamed Operation Rosny, which also examines possible links between Ellis, property developer Jean Nassif and other Liberal power brokers. The Diocese of Wilcannia‑Forbes and the Carmelite community assert the nuns have never participated in politics, while the NSW Liberal Party says it holds no membership records tied to faith or employment. Ellis is listed as one of ten persons of interest in the ICAC probe, and Catholic Schools NSW has also been drawn into the inquiry.