Ex-council CEO copied associate's signature for $500k role, inquiry told

Gail Connolly has taken the witness stand at the ICAC inquiry. (ABC News)

Former City of Parramatta Council chief executive Gail Connolly gave evidence at a corruption inquiry into misconduct allegation on Thursday.

Ms Connolly admitted copying a signature to quickly sign her employment contract for a $500,00-a-year position before the offer could be rescinded.

A former City of Parramatta Council chief executive copied an associate's signature to quickly sign her employment contract for a $500,000-a-year position before the offer could be rescinded, the corruption watchdog has been told.

Gail Connolly was the chief executive from 2023, until a split council vote ended her tenure in October 2025.

At an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) hearing on Thursday, she was questioned around the circumstances of how she was appointed to the role.

The commission was shown text messages between Ms Connolly and Roxanne Thornton, a fellow member of a network of close friends and local government bureaucrats, where Ms Connolly said she was "digging dirt" on the role's other contender, Bryan Hynes, who had been acting chief executive at the time.

Joanna Davidson SC cross examined Ms Connolly during Thursday's public hearing. (ABC News)

When asked by Counsel Assisting Joanna Davidson SC what she meant by that, Ms Connolly said she meant she was "getting background" on her competition.

Ms Connolly also told the commission she had been under the impression she had entered into a "verbal contract" after being informed she had been successful in the role, and wrongly assumed her more-than $500,000 salary had been approved.

A rescission motion was submitted by council in March 2023, in an attempt to stop her employment from going ahead.

Ms Davidson told the commission the then-head of Local Government New South Wales (LGNSW) Scott Phillips, sent Ms Connolly a copy of legal advice he had provided to the council about the validity of the rescission motion.

ICAC's public inquiry into the City of Parramatta’s former chief executive and other councillors is in its final week. (ABC News: Warwick Ford)

When questioned about whether Ms Connolly had considered it appropriate for her to be receiving advice intended for the council, she told the commission that then-lord mayor Donna Davis had already been sharing it with her verbally.

Ms Connolly also acknowledged that Mr Phillips was a friend of hers, and it was "difficult to separate the personal and the professional" in various correspondence between them.

The commission was also shown further legal advic