Manning ICAC inquiry LIVE updates: Former head of School Infrastructure NSW to appear
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Welcome to our coverage of the inquiry
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption's public hearing in the investigation of School Infrastructure NSW. After nearly six weeks, the key subject of the inquiry, Anthony Manning, is due to give evidence from 11.50am.
Manning was the first chief executive of School Infrastructure NSW, a government agency within the Department of Education set up in 2017 under the previous government to manage what was forecast to be a $2.6 billion investment in school building over the following four years. He left the role in February last year.
There are two main allegations, which were outlined on day one. The first is whether Manning and others used their official functions to subvert 'appropriate recruitment practices to benefit friends and business associates', improperly award contracts worth millions of dollars and misallocated funds from school projects.
The second allegation is whether Manning, School Infrastructure human resource strategic adviser Wendy O'Brien and others engaged in reprisal actions against staff who made complaints.
This will be the first chance to hear from Manning. His previous barrister, Tim Hale SC, had raised concerns earlier in the hearing that the arguments against Manning were 'relatively unspecific'. 'There is extreme doubt certainly from my client's point of view what actually is being alleged to be the corrupt conduct,' he said.
10.43am
Who else is involved?
Over the past five weeks, the ICAC has heard from dozens of witnesses from both inside the schools building unit and outside. Among the first was Rob Stokes, who was education minister when the agency was established, followed by past and present department secretaries, consultants and data analysts and more.
On day one, counsel assisting Jamie Darams SC outlined a tangled web of connections. One group of Manning's associates is known to the ICAC as Manning's 'Cycling Group' and 'Beer and Curry Group'. Both of these featured Stuart Suthern-Brunt, a contractor engaged at $2800 a day whose companies received more than $1.7 million in work from School Infrastructure.
The inquiry has heard Manning and Suthern-Brunt have known each other since 2007.
The inquiry was shown detailed text messages and emails outlining the pair's numerous social arrangements from about 2017 to 2019, including morning cycling sessions, yoga, breakfasts, dinners, a beer and curry night and a buck's party.
Suthern-Brunt invited Manning to his daughter's 21st birthday party and the pair discussed jewellery as a gift.
The inquiry has heard of another of Manning's groups', known as the Tom, Dick and Harry Breakfast Club, which took its name from the classic World War II film The Great Escape.
Martin Berry, the director of Heathwest Advisory, has had three appearances as a witness at the ICAC's public hearings.
On Tuesday, Berry told the inquiry he was brought in to the school building unit in July 2019 to work on 'three property transactions' for public schools planned at Chatswood, Wentworth Point and Westmead.
Berry, the sole director of Heathwest Advisory, was engaged as a contractor with the building arm on a rate of $2650 a day. Berry attended at a buck's night and housewarming party with Manning in the months before starting as a top-paid consultant at the agency.
Also under examination are Manning's connections with PwC and Paxon Group. School Infrastructure NSW paid about $4.45 million to Paxon between May 2018 and November 2022. More than $1.8 million was paid to PwC in 2017 and 2018.
The other example Darams highlighted in the opening was Manning's connection with strategic communications adviser Kathy Jones and her associated companies. 'The total amount paid to companies associated with Ms Jones from 31 January 2018 to 27 April 2024 was almost $9 million, most of which was paid before the end of 2022.' One witness told the inquiry that Manning had called her his 'communications fairy godmother'.
10.25am
What are the allegations?
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has been holding a public inquiry into allegations concerning Anthony Manning, who was the chief executive of School Infrastructure NSW from 2017 to 2024, and other staff and contractors.
There are two key allegations. The first is whether Manning and others used their official functions between 2017 and 2024, by:
intentionally subverting appropriate recruitment practices to benefit friends and business associates;
improperly awarding contracts to friends and business associates; and
misallocating funds from school projects to favour particular businesses and to fund consultancy positions for friends and business associates.
The second allegation is whether Manning, School Infrastructure human resource strategic adviser Wendy O'Brien and others engaged in reprisal actions against staff who complained or made public interest disclosures.
In his opening statement, counsel assisting Jamie Darams SC said if the commission found this conduct had happened, 'it would constitute corrupt conduct within the meaning of section 8 of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988 (NSW), and it may constitute serious corrupt conduct'.
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