NSW ICAC terminates probe into sacked minister

Crakanthorp has been contacted for comment.

Last August, Crakanthorp became the first minister of the new government to be sacked after Minns said he had failed to disclose “substantial” private family holdings in his capacity as the minister for the Hunter.

The issue related to Crakanthorp’s failure to disclose the significant property holdings of his wife’s extended family in Newcastle. The Sydney Morning Herald subsequently revealed the MP, who was appointed minister for the Hunter after the 2023 election, had been involved in discussions over a potential multibillion-dollar redevelopment in Broadmeadow that could have financially benefited members of his family.

Crakanthorp’s wife, Laura Crakanthorp, and father-in-law, Joe Manitta, own a substantial property portfolio in Broadmeadow.

His former chief of staff, Elliott Stein, had reported the property holdings of his boss’s family to the premier after raising repeated concerns with the MP for failing to disclose the issue.

Minns said at the time he was concerned there may have been “other breaches” by Crakanthorp in the four months since the government was elected.

“I do have to report to the House that there may have been matters over the preceding four months that may have caused other breaches or caused … an investigation by the corruption watchdog particularly in relation to those undisclosed properties and his actions as a minister,” Minns said in August last year.

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At the time, Crakanthorp insisted the failure to disclose the property interests was an “omission” and that he had self-reported it.

“I also took steps to subsequently notify the premier that I had now become aware that properties owned within Broadmeadow by my in-laws also now represented a conflict of interest,” Crakanthorp said.

“In recent days, I again notified the premier’s office that I had now spoken to both my in-laws and my siblings’ in-laws to assemble a full list of each of their interests, and I have provided those to the premier’s office.”

The premier will likely face questions over whether Crakanthorp should remain in the party room.

The Herald revealed this week that the Labor Party’s administrative committee had put a freeze on new memberships in Crakanthorp’s ultra-safe seat after allegations of a branch-stacking campaign in the electorate brought on by uncertainty over his future.

After asking Crakanthorp to stand aside from the ministry, Minns had initially said he would remove the MP from the Labor party room if the ICAC began an investigation. Minns later clarified that he would only remove him if there was a formal investigation.

“If they do go to the next stage, obviously, I’ll have to take action,” Minns said in September.