Dinner and a mine stake AN EMPLOYEE of disgraced former resources minister Ian Macdonald was treated to an $850 steak dinner by two men who would later profit from a controversial mining deal, ICAC was told yesterday. While Craig Munnings, who worked as a departmental officer for Mr Macdonald, told the corruption inquiry he felt the relationship between his boss and former union heavyweight John Maitland "not the best political look" he agreed he had dined with two of the Doyles Creek investors at Sydney's Prime Restaurant in April, 2008. ICAC is investigating the circumstances behind Mr Macdonald's granting of an exploration licence to a small group of entrepreneurs, including Mr Maitland and Craig Ransley, without a competitive tender - a decision that went against the advice of the mining industry and the Primary Industries Department. The restaurant bill shows three rib-eye steaks were eaten at the dinner, as well as dishes of scallops and goat cheese souffle. The meal was washed down with two bottles of red wine at a cost of almost $500, the inquiry was told. A $100 tip was also left at the end of the meal. Mr Munnings agreed there would have been three people at the dinner - himself, Mr Maitland and Mr Ransley - but denied acting as a "principal conduit" between Mr Macdonald and the investors. He also rejected a claim that he was Mr Macdonald's "right-hand man." The inquiry, entering its final weeks, has been told Mr Maitland turned an initial $165,000 outlay in the project into a $15 million windfall. Doyles Creek Mining was bought by publicly listed company NuCoal in 2010. ICAC has been told Mr Maitland approached politicians, mining figures and educators and urged them to write letters of support for the training mine. Mr Munnings told the inquiry yesterday he considered the support notes to be "some political cover (because of) having third party endorsements." "It is my way of describing a process a minister uses (for) political protection," he said. The letters, which were sent in 2008 in the lead-up to Mr Macdonald's granting of the licence just before Christmas of that year, were forwarded to the Department of Primary Industries, which was opposed to Mr Maitland's idea. Mr Munnings described the licence as being "gifted" to the group and that he was concerned about the implications of the decision because the good relationship of Mr Macdonald and Mr Maitland was commonly known. He said he had concerns about the proposal, but was told it was inappropriate to raise his worry with Mr Macdonald. "I expressed my disquiet (with senior staff) but their counsel was that it wasn't really something I should concern myself with," he told the inquiry.