What was claimed
Clare O'Neil has been criticised by an 'Anti-Corruption Institute' over a multi-million dollar investment property portfolio.
Our verdict
False. The professor cited in the post is fake and there is no record of the quote attributed to an 'Anti-Corruption Institute'.
AAP FACTCHECK - A fictional anti-corruption expert is being used to criticise a federal minister's supposed multi-million dollar property portfolio.
Social media posts claim that a professor from an anti-corruption group has taken aim at Housing Minister Clare O'Neil's investment portfolio, which allegedly includes three multi-million dollar properties.
However, the supposed academic that is cited is fictional. Meanwhile, parliamentary records show that Ms O'Neil jointly owns only one home.
The claim is in a Facebook post featuring a graphic with a photo of the minister and the headline: "The Astonishing Rise of Clare O'Neill's [sic] Net Worth."
It claims her net worth has increased from less than $1 million to more than $20 million since she entered politics.
It lists a supposed $15.2 million property portfolio, including a luxury apartment in Sydney, a commercial building in Melbourne and a beachfront home in Lorne, Victoria.
It also quotes a "Professor Eleanor Vance" from the "Anti-Corruption Institute".
"The timing of these wealth accumulations raises serious questions about potential conflicts of interest. Full transparency is essential," the alleged academic's quote reads.
The Facebook post caption adds: "If true, not a bad earn in 23 years of politics."
The same graphic was earlier posted to X.
The X user's bio reads: "Memes and satire - let's have a laugh so we don't cry. This page is for comedic purposes only."
AAP FactCheck found no record of the professor or the quote attributed to her.
In the bottom-right corner of the graphic, a watermark for X's AI assistant, Grok, is visible, suggesting it was created using AI.
The 'Anti-Corruption Institute' is also not an active advocacy group in Australia.
While a group with a similar name, the Australian Anti-Corruption Institute, has a Facebook page, it has not posted in more than six years, and its website is inactive.
There is no record of a 'Professor Eleanor Vance' ever being associated with the group.
More than a decade of parliamentary disclosures also contradict the claims about Ms O'Neil's property holdings.
The minister has disclosed her real estate interests since she entered parliament in 2013.
All MPs must declare any properties they or their spouse own under parliamentary rules (page 1).
Ms O'Neil's 2013 declaration included no investments or properties beyond a savings account and superannuation.
The following year, Ms O'Neil disclosed an East Melbourne property jointly owned with her spouse (p8).
In January 2021, she declared the purchase of a family home in Oakleigh, Melbourne (p9).
Four months later, the minister disclosed that the East Melbourne address was an investment property earning rental income (p10).
Ms O'Neil removed the investment property from her register of interests in August 2023 (p11).
By January 2026, she disclosed that her entire property holdings consisted of the one family home in Oakleigh (p3).
It states she owned no other assets over $7500, while her spouse owned a car and part-owned a vintage car.
While there have been instances of politicians failing to properly update their registers in the past, there are no reports that Ms O'Neil has breached these rules.
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