Former NSW minister Tim Crakanthorp breached public trust by failing to disclose family property holdings in the Hunter region, according to an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) report made public today, but there was no finding of corrupt conduct.
Mr Crakanthorp was referred to the ICAC by the Premier Chris Minns in August 2023 and stripped of his portfolios.
The properties in question were in the Newcastle suburb of Broadmeadow, near the government’s planned Hunter Park Sport and Entertainment Precinct.
The Premier said at the time he was concerned the MP may have used his public profile as minister for the Hunter to benefit his private interests, and removed him from the frontbench.
Mr Crakanthorp told parliament at the time that he disclosed two properties fully or partially owned by his wife but an oversight meant he had omitted a third property in Broadmeadow.
The NSW ICAC conducted a preliminary investigation into whether Mr Crakanthorp had failed to declare a conflict of interest.
Investigation terminated
Yesterday the commission announced it had terminated its investigation and was satisfied Mr Crakanthorp’s conduct was not sufficiently serious enough to justify a finding of corrupt conduct.
The ICAC handed its full report to Premier Chris Minns, who today made the report public.
The ICAC found Mr Crakanthorp breached public trust when he knowingly failed to declare a conflict of interest arising from his family’s landholdings while he was minister for the Hunter.
It also found Mr Crakanthorp’s participation in several meetings that could affect his family’s properties in his role as minister for the Hunter constituted a breach of public trust.
The report concluded his conduct “constituted substantial breaches of the NSW Ministerial Code of Conduct”.
But the ICAC was not satisfied there were any reasonable prospects of finding Mr Crakanthorp’s conduct sufficiently serious to justify a finding of corrupt conduct.
The commission stated there was no evidence of any adverse impact on the public interest.
MP won’t return to frontbench
Premier Chris Minns said the findings of the ICAC report validated his decision to refer the matter to the commission.
He said it was important to note that the ICAC had returned without a finding of misconduct, but had found a breach of public trust.
“So removing him from the cabinet was the right decision to make in August and I also want to affirm that he will not be returning to the New South Wales cabinet as a member of the Labor Party,” Mr Minns said.
“But I won’t be moving for him to be removed from the parliamentary Labor Party.”
Mr Minns said the Member for Newcastle had some work to do.
“He’s got to earn back that trust with his colleagues and with the people of New South Wales, and I expect him to do that in the weeks and months and years ahead,” he said.
Mr Crakanthorp accepts findings
Mr Crakanthorp said he accepted the findings of the report.
“It is clear that I should have done more and for that I am deeply regretful,” he said.
“This has been a difficult time for not only myself, but for my wife and kids.”
He said for the past 16 years, as a local government councillor and a Member of Parliament, his focus had been to serve the people of Newcastle.
Now the report had been released, Mr Crakanthorp said he would continue to represent the community to the best of his ability.
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