A $17,000 bill for surveillance work by private investigators who tracked the former partner of a National Union of Workers boss was picked up by the head of a labour hire company, the unions royal commission has heard.
The then head of the powerful NSW branch of the NUW, Derrick Belan, was also put up in a hotel's diplomatic suite when taken to Canberra by the company, Action Workforce, and Action's parent company, Ashley Services Group (ASG), employed two of Mr Belan's nieces, the commission heard.
Mr Belan told Action Workforce general manager Paul Rixon in 2014 he feared his former partner was leaving his young daughter with older children when she went out at night, the commission heard on Friday.
"He mentioned to me that he was very concerned for the safety of his youngest daughter," Mr Rixon told the hearing.
In a written statement, Mr Rixon said he could not recall how it came up but he suggested Mr Belan use a private investigations company, Eureka, which Action used for workers' compensation surveillance.
Mr Rixon asked ASG's managing director, Ross Shrimpton, if they could assist after Eureka would not accept credit card payments from Mr Belan.
"I was aware at the time that Mr Belan was having some financial issues and, as a result, had moved back in with his mum," Mr Rixon said.
Mr Shrimpton told the commission the money was a personal loan to Mr Belan, who he had known about for many years through work.
Asked by counsel assisting the commission, Sarah McNaughton SC, if there was any benefit in helping the head of the union that represented many of his workers, Mr Shrimpton said he saw no conflict of interest.
"I saw it as helping someone who was in a fairly bad state, down and out," Mr Shrimpton said.
He said Mr Belan was to repay the loan when able to do so.
Mr Belan accompanied Mr Rixon to Canberra this year to help him network with politicians and was put up in the diplomatic suite of the Hyatt Hotel.
Mr Rixon said he was not trying to curry favour with the union boss and Mr Belan was "using his personal contacts to assist me".
Mr Belan had a temporary reprieve from facing the commission this week after being summoned from a beachside psychiatric hospital.
The commission has heard he resigned his 14-year post as NUW state secretary in October, in the same week he was summoned to appear before the commission.
New NUW state secretary, Wayne Meaney, told the commission Mr Belan transferred $25,000 in union election slush fund money to a safe at his home.
The NUW NSW branch closed a campaign account called "The Derrick Belan Team" in 2013 and put the $25,304 in cash in an office safe.
Mr Meaney said Mr Belan had taken the money home in February or March this year.
"He guaranteed me it was in a secure spot in the safe at home and any time I wanted to view the money, I could, but I never ever needed to go," Mr Meaney said.
