Untangling the web: how the ICAC scandal unfolded

From bottles of Grange to brown bags of cash in Bentleys, the latest ICAC investigations have exposed a rotten vein running through both the former Labor government and current Liberal Government.

Use the character time lines and click on the key events below to see how the interlinked political scandals over the past eight years have evolved and who has been dragged into them.

The Liberal link

Newcastle is ground zero for the latest round of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption's investigation, as it cuts a swathe through the political fortunes of MPs in the region, claiming the scalps of three Liberal MPs and the mayor of Newcastle.

ICAC is alleging that in the lead-up to the 2011 NSW election, senior Labor figures Eric Roozendaal and Joe Tripodi stalled a major infrastructure project to benefit Nathan Tinkler's development company Buildev.

Mr Tripodi and Buildev have also been implicated in alleged smear campaign against Newcastle's Labor candidate Jodi McKay, who would go on to lose her seat by less than 2,000 votes, as payback for her refusal to preference the company.

Furthermore, hedging their bets, Buildev and other developers - including former Newcastle Mayor Jeff McCloy - secretly channelled funds into the election campaigns of several Hunter region Liberal candidates, violating the ban on donations from developers that had stood since 2009.

The Obeid connection

When you think ICAC, one name springs to mind: Eddie Obeid. But how does a scandal involving electoral funds for NSW Liberal MPs involve the disgraced former powerbroker, who pulled the strings within the Labor Party to benefit his family for the greater part of a decade?

The answer lies in Australian Water Holdings (AWH), a small organisation with the contract to provide and manage water and sewerage pipes in Sydney's north-west, and Nick Di Girolamo, a prominent Liberal fundraiser who ICAC is alleging saw an opportunity in a poorly worded agreement that allowed AWH to charge all its costs to the state-owned Sydney Water.

Mr Di Girolamo is a school friend of Eddie Obeid's sons and brought Eddie Junior, along with future Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinos, into the company. The goal was to transform it into a multi-million dollar water powerhouse through a public private partnership with Sydney Water.

When Sydney Water CEO Kerry Schott began to question the expenses being charged by AWH, ICAC alleges Eddie Obeid marshalled the forces at his disposal to ensure the company got its way, setting off a chain of events that would see a Liberal premier stand down and politicians from both sides of politics stand aside in disgrace.

The big picture

So far the investigations have resulted in the resignation of a premier and nine Liberal MPs from the party, and a generation of senior Labor politicians have had their careers cut short or tarnished through the AWH scandal.

Mistrust of politicians on both sides is at an all-time high in New South Wales, reflecting the widespread disillusionment in the voting public across the nation.

With the inquiry continuing, there is speculation senior figures within the Liberal Party's organisation structure may be dragged into the scandal, and there are mounting calls for a federal version of ICAC to be implemented.

Topics: corruption, law-crime-and-justice, government-and-politics, states-and-territories