Last December, Mr Madafferi was banned by then-chief commissioner Ken Lay from the casino and Victorian racecourses. Tony Madafferi. The ban was due to police concerns about Mr Madafferi's suspected long-standing involvement in organised crime. The Age has confirmed that Corrections Minister Wade Noonan has asked Mr Gillard for a "please explain" and sought advice on what action he may be able to take against the senior justice department official. Mr Gillard, a former Supreme Court judge, refused to answer questions about his relationship with Mr Madafferi or discuss why, given his role as a senior criminal justice official, he had thought it appropriate to assist an alleged criminal figure.

When asked directly about his role advising Mr Madafferi, Mr Gillard said: "I'm not saying anything about that", before hanging up the phone. He later confirmed in a text message that he had "on a few occasions provided assistance and legal advice … to a person involved in a legal dispute." A source close to the Italian community said Mr Madafferi had given Mr Gillard the gift of a food hamper in return for his advice about how to fight the casino ban. Mr Gillard did not answer questions via email about this gift or whether his relationship with Mr Madafferi had been disclosed to the government. Senior legal figures said it was highly inappropriate for Mr Gillard to have met and advised Mr Madafferi. One said that it was at the very least a "gross misjudgement".

Mr Gillard was appointed the parole board's first full time chairman in 2013. It is a role that involves overseeing decisions on whether criminals should be released into the community. In a statement, Mr Noonan said he had been informed on Thursday of the allegations surrounding Mr Gillard's conduct. "I am very concerned about these matters and have asked the secretary of my department to investigate and report back to me as a matter of urgency," he said. Mr Madafferi's suspected mafia involvement and organised crime associations have been aired in multiple court cases between last year and the 1990s, when he was accused in coronial inquests of involvement in two murders. Mr Madafferi denies any involvement in criminal activity and has no criminal convictions.

Several of Mr Madafferi's criminal associates have appeared before the parole board or will do so into the future. But in drug trafficking trials between 2011 and last year, allegations were aired about Mr Madafferi's strong connections to major traffickers. These criminal associates include his brother, drug trafficker Francesco Madafferi, his close associate, drug dealer Tony Di Pietro, as well as major drug importer Pasquale Barbaro. All three men are serving jail sentences. Prosecutors have previously alleged in court cases linked to the trio that Tony Madafferi had met with several drug traffickers at the casino and other locations. It is understood that Mr Madafferi's large gambling activities and meetings with crime figures at Crown are among the reasons Mr Lay banned him from the casino last Christmas.

Others to be banned from Crown Casino include underworld figures Mick Gatto and Tony Mokbel. Mr Antonio (Tony) Madafferi Since March 2014, The Age and Fairfax Media Pty Ltd have published a series of articles by Nick McKenzie, Richard Baker, Royce Millar and Josh Gordon concerning Mr Antonio (Tony) Madafferi. The Age acknowledges that Mr Madafferi is a hard working family man who has never been charged by the police with any criminal offence, and has no criminal convictions. To the extent that any of the articles might have suggested the contrary, The Age accepts that such suggestions are false and apologises to Mr Madafferi.