Chris Minns sacks Tim Crakanthorp for family’s property portfolio

Sacked Minister Tim Crakanthorp has defended not initially disclosing up to 24 properties owned by his wife and in-laws, saying he at first thought he had complied with the rules. See what they own.

Sacked minister Tim Crakanthorp has defended not initially disclosing properties owned by his wife and in-laws, saying he at first thought he had complied with the rules.

Mr Crakanthorp revealed he had reported a property owned by his wife and her in-laws in recent days which he didn’t declare when he became minister.

Mr Crakanthorp said he “unfortunately omitted” another property at Broadmeadow owned by his wife, which she bought this year.

He then declared that property’s ownership in recent days.

Mr Crakanthorp said he had subsequently asked his in-laws to assemble a full list of their properties, understood to number more than 24, which he has provided to the Premier’s office.

“In recent days I have made a subsequent disclosure to the Premier’s office to self-report an omission on my ministerial disclosures as required by the code of conduct,” Mr Crakanthorp, who was sacked from cabinet by Premier Chris Minns on Wednesday, said in a private members’s statement tabled to parliament.

Sacked Minister Tim Crakanthorp has defended not initially disclosing properties owned by his wife and in-laws.

“My disclosure included a property owned by my wife and another property owned by my wife with her siblings. A further property owned by my wife was unfortunately omitted in that disclosure.

“I believe that disclosure was the first required after my appointment as a Minister in the Minns Labor Government. At that time I also disclosed that my father-in-law owned property at Broadmeadow but undertook that I would notify under the code of conduct of any changes to any perceived conflict.

“Subsequently, I provided another return that included the omitted property owned by my wife. I also provided a subsequent updated disclosure under the ministerial code of conduct that again identified the subject property owned by my wife at Broadmeadow.

“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.

“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.

“I appreciate and firmly believe Ministers must be held to the highest standards and would like to note that this oversight was identified due to my own self-reporting. I thank the House for its consideration.”

‘Concerns’ … NSW Premier Chris Minns pictured on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Premier Minns reiterated on Thursday concerns over whether Mr Crakanthorp or his family may have benefited from his cabinet role, regarding properties owned in Newcastle.

“Again, obviously, like any town in New South Wales there is the potential for development within those places,” Mr Minns said.

“I do have concerns about that. I’m being honest about it. And that’s why we referred it to the ICAC. I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to speculate on those conditions or those circumstances. I need the corruption watchdog to do that job.”

MINNS SACKS CRAKANTHORP

Dumped minister Tim Crakanthorp failed to disclose that his wife and in-laws owned dozens of properties in the Hunter, leading Premier Chris Minns to sack the Newcastle MP from his cabinet over a “potential conflict of interest” and a breach of the Ministerial code.

Mr Minns has also referred Mr Crakanthorp’s “substantial private land holdings” to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Mr Crakanthorp will remain a member of Labor’s backbench but faces expulsion from the parliamentary party if ICAC decides to open an investigation into him.

He has become the first minister in the Minns government to be sacked, less than six months after the election.

Mr Minns said he first became aware of Mr Crakanthorp’s “significant private family holdings” earlier this week.

Tim Crakanthorp.

Premier Chris Minns.

Failing to disclose those properties was a “breach of the Ministerial Code (of conduct),” Mr Minns said.

The Premier said he had “concerns” over whether Mr Crakanthorp had made decisions as a minister which had benefited the properties held by his family.

Mr Crakanthorp’s failure to disclose the land holdings “has also given rise to concerns that he may have acted in matters in which he had a conflict between his public duties and private interests of members of his family,” Mr Minns said.

Mr Crakanthorp said in a statement to The Daily Telegraph he had self-reported the “unintended omission” from his ministerial disclosures.

“I identified a potential and accidental breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct.

This is was an unintended breach, and I self-reported this to the NSW Premier,” Mr Crakanthorp said.

“I appreciate the high standards ministers must be held to; this is why I self-reported this breach.”

In 2017, it was reported that Mr Crakanthorp’s father-in-law was a one-time property developer with extensive land holdings in the Newcastle area.

The Newcastle Herald reported in 2014 that Mr Crakanthorp’s in-laws owned an 8000-square-metre development site at Wickham.

Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp.

The Daily Telegraph can also reveal that a Joseph and Santina Manitta in 2013 lobbied for “large and small scale” commercial and residential development on land they owned.

It is unclear to whom the letter, regarding the Newcastle Urban Renewal SEPP, was sent.

Sources said Mr Crakanthorp’s wife, Laura, also owns commercial property, as do other members of her family — totalling “dozens” in number.

Laura changed her name from “Lara” to Laura in 2021, although ABN records show her trading name remains Lara Manitta.

According to ownership records obtained through datahub Core Logic, the “Manittas” own a swath of commercial properties, mostly warehouses or offices, across Newcastle’s industrial suburbs, with the majority owned by Ms Crakanthorp’s father-in-law Joseph.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by the Manitta family or Ms Crakanthorp.

Tim Crakanthorp during Question Time at NSW Parliament in June. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Records indicate Joseph and Santina Manitta own at least three commercial properties in Broadmeadow, Newcastle.

However, an office at 30 Broadmeadow Rd now housing a car repair company was sold by the Manitta family in February 2023 to Ms Crakanthorp for $1.25m, property records revealed.

Further industrial properties understood to belong to the Manitta family include a light industry warehouse at 16 Harrison St, another across two addresses in Wickham, one at 45 Fitzroy St, and another at 48 Fern St – all in Newcastle.

According to property records, the Manittas also own two commercial properties in Mayfield West, and both residential and business units on King St and Honeysuckle Drive.

45 Fitzroy Street, Carrington.

At a complex on Darby St, Cooks Hill, two units are owned and leased out by the Manitta family, with a third unit owned by a “Crakanthorp”, understood to be Laura.

The Manittas, historical reporting and records show, are also believed to have owned two pub buildings in the area, the old Carrington Place and the historical Oriental Hotel, although it is understood these have since been sold.

A warehouse leased out by the Crakanthorp couple’s Carson & Yvette Pty Ltd was disclosed in the former minister’s disclosures, but not at which address.

In an earlier statement, Mr Crakanthorp said he “self-reported a breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct” to the Premier

“I will continue as the Member for Newcastle. I will not be making further comment at this time,” he said.

Mr Crakanthorp did not return calls on Wednesday.

Tim Crakanthorp campaigning in 2014 with his family and then NSW Labor leader John Robertson.

One Labor MP said Mr Crakanthorp’s “whole career is over” after the substantial breach of the Ministerial Code.

The MP said it was made crystal clear what the disclosure requirements were.

“(Premier Chris) Minns made it very clear, hundreds of times, what ministers and all MPs in the new government had to disclose,” the MP said.

In Mr Crakanthorp’s most recent disclosure forms, the Newcastle MP said he co-owned two properties with his wife.

These were a home in the Newcastle suburb of Hamilton South, listed as his principal address, and an investment unit in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst.

He also disclosed that he was the director of a business, Carson Yvette P/L.

Tim Crakanthorp being sworn in NSW Governor Margaret Beazley on April 5, 2023. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The disclosures, logged in May 2023 and October 2022, cover items or interests in the previous financial year.

The only other item logged was a $1250 painting the MP received as a gift.

The Premier said he was “disappointed” that he has had to sack a Minister less than six months since the election.

“I fully acknowledge that this is not what we want. And we want to have a cabinet in NSW that the people of NSW can believe in and can have trust in and faith in but that’s part of the reason why I’ve taken this decision,” Mr Minns said.

Nationals Senator Ross Cadell, based in Newcastle, said the property holdings of Mr Crakanthorp’s wife and her family were “well known”.

“Today’s revelations from the Premier concerning land holdings by the family of Mr Crakanthorp’s wife come as no surprise to me as they are openly known,” he said.

“I would be very surprised if this was anything more than a clerical oversight.”

Mr Cadell said he had “always respected (Mr Crakanthorp’s) commitment to the city of Newcastle and its people, a dedication that never faltered.”

A statement released by Tim Crakanthorp on late Wednesday afternoon.

The sacked minister’s portfolios will go to Deputy Premier Prue Car, who will assume responsibility as interim Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education and Training Minister.

Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley will assume responsibility as interim Minister for the Hunter.

Liberal Leader Mark Speakman questioned why Mr Minns only found out about the property holdings this week, given they were reported in 2014 when Mr Crakanthorp first ran for parliament.

“The Premier must now provide answers to questions asked by the opposition regarding perceived conflicts of interest and give confidence to the people of NSW that relevant steps have been taken to manage any perceived conflicts of interest,” Mr Speakman said.