The former New South Wales state minister Tim Crakanthorp will remain in the parliamentary Labor party after the corruption watchdog confirmed it had begun an investigation following his sacking from cabinet in August.
According to documents released to parliament, the Independent Commission Against Corruption is conducting a preliminary investigation into whether the Newcastle MP substantially breached the ministerial code.
In August, the premier, Chris Minns, said he would remove Crakanthorp from the state caucus if Icac began an investigation into the MP, but on Thursday said he would only do so if the probe was formalised.
Crakanthorp “hasn’t and doesn’t hold executive responsibility in NSW while that preliminary inquiry is taking place,” Minns said on Thursday. “If they do go to the next stage, obviously, I’ll have to take action.”
Minns denied the decision to keep Crakanthorp in the parliamentary party, for now, had anything to do with retaining numbers in the tight lower house.
“We’ve been in power for six months. I’m not aware of any vote that’s come down to one,” he said. “Given it’s a preliminary inquiry, I don’t know where or how or what the shape or nature of that potential inquiry will be. It’s appropriate that we wait and see.”
Contained within a document produced by the Cabinet Office and published on the state parliament’s website on Wednesday, Icac’s chief commissioner, John Hatzistergos, confirmed the initial investigation.
“The commission is currently conducting a preliminary investigation into whether Mr Crakanthorp substantially breached the ministerial code of conduct,” he said.
The statement was made in the context of which documents should or should not be made public after a call for papers relating to Crakanthorp’s dismissal byMinns.
At the time of his removal from cabinet, Minns said he had referred the matter to the Icac after the then minister allegedly failed to declare “substantial private family holdings” relating to his wife’s family.
Neither Crakanthorp’s wife nor her family have been accused of any wrongdoing.
Minns said he asked Crakanthorp to resign as a minister after he became aware of the properties across the Hunter region, for which he was the minister responsible.
Minns said the Newcastle MP had “failed to comply with his obligations as a minister” by not declaring the properties, causing potential conflicts of interest for matters discussed by the cabinet and within his ministry.
“Mr Crakanthorp did not supply information about substantial private family holdings in the Hunter region until recently, when he should have, constituting a clear breach of the ministerial code,” Minns said.
Crakanthorp has been contacted for comment.
