Ian Macdonald’s menu of suckling pig, champagne and a call girl named Tiffanie

AT THE height of his ministerial career the man dubbed “Sir Lunch-a-lot” for his love of fine dining enjoyed a salary of $250,000 and pedalled influence through a network of rich and powerful mates

Ian Macdonald was found guilty of two counts of misconduct in public office.

• Ian Macdonald found guilty of public misconduct

AT the height of Ian Macdonald’s ministerial career, the man dubbed “Sir Lunchalot” for his love of fine dining enjoyed a salary of $250,000 and pedalled influence through a network of powerful mates.

Macdonald tucked into feasts of suckling pig and champagne in Sydney’s best restaurants, and in possibly his most colourful moment was sprung having a dalliance with a call girl named Tiffanie at a five-star hotel.

As a Labor “fixer”, the former minerals and primary industries minister carried political nicknames such as “Eddie’s (Obeid’s) left testicle” and “Della’s (John Della Bosca’s) pet crocodile”.

Ian Macdonald was found guilty of two counts of misconduct in public office.

Now a jury’s guilty verdict on two counts of wilful misconduct in public office means Macdonald, 68, faces the prospect of joining his political bedfellow Obeid in jail.

Ian Macdonald arriving for his trial.

It is a long fall from Macquarie St’s halls of power, swanky dinners at Catalina in Rose Bay and the orchard where he tended apple, pear and cherry trees in an idyllic valley outside Orange.

As a raft of allegations were levelled at him, Macdonald was forced to sell the orchard and farm and move to a cottage in the Blue Mountains.

“My income dried up as I lost potential jobs, not related to the inquiries, and I worked cleaning (accommodation) units in Orange,” he said.

“All of these attacks on me of having wealth, living overseas are absolute nonsense.

“I do not believe that I have done anything wrong or engaged in criminal activity.”

ICAC blew the lid on the seamy side of Macdonald’s life six years ago when it emerged he had accepted a night with Tiffanie as a gift from a wealthy property developer. But the beginning of the end came in 2010 when he was forced to resign from government for rorting travel expenses.