The Heydon Royal Commission will next week issue a discussion paper that will canvass whether penalties for union officials who breach their duties should be brought into line with those for company directors under the Corporations Act.
Former NSW ETU leader Bernie Rordan says he was warned that litigation by a fellow union secretary could prevent his appointment to the Fair Work Commission in 2012.
The NSW ETU loaned $500,000 to the state ALP in late 2010 without getting approval from the union's state council, the Heydon Royal Commission heard today.
FWC Commissioner Bernie Riordan and lawyer Bob Whyburn are among the witnesses the Heydon Royal Commission has called for its inquiry into the ETU's NSW branch, with hearings beginning Monday.
The Heydon Royal Commission will consider the allegations made against former HSU leader Kathy Jackson later this year, once the Federal Court rules in civil proceedings brought by her former union.
The NSW Public Service Association says its axing of an assistant secretary position has boosted its war chest to fight the state government's electricity privatisation plans.
The Heydon Royal Commission has begun referring its interim findings against unions and individuals to police and other investigatory authorities, including ASIC and the ACCC.
