Date: 17th June 2026

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption has concluded its Operation Navarra public inquiry into the City of Parramatta Council, after 24 days of hearings examining the conduct of former chief executive Gail Connolly and a group of senior staff referred to in evidence as the “Pink Ladies”.

The inquiry examined allegations that recruitment and promotion processes at the council were undermined to favour associates, that councillor emails and phone records were monitored without authority, that signatures were forged, and that staff payouts were approved to remove employees Connolly did not favour. One witness, Roxanne Thornton, admitted during the hearings to helping three friends secure council jobs through what she described as a sham application process.

Connolly gave evidence over seven days and was cross-examined by counsel assisting the Commission, Joanna Davidson SC, as well as lawyers representing former council staff and the council itself. She denied engaging in misconduct, dishonesty or corrupt conduct, and denied trying to mislead the Commission. She did acknowledge sending indiscreet text messages, sharing information that should have remained confidential, and lying to the lord mayor on one occasion.

According to Sydney Morning Herald, Connolly relied on phrases such as “can’t recall” or “don’t recall” more than 440 times across her evidence, which she attributed to the passage of time. Counsel for the council, Arthur Moses SC, put to Connolly that she was “engaging in historic revisionism” rather than confronting the truth, a characterisation she rejected.

Chief Commissioner John Hatzistergos will now consider the evidence before delivering the Commission’s findings. No timeframe for a report has yet been announced.