National Union of Workers NSW Secretary Wayne Meaney spent $7500 of union cash on a second KISS concert corporate box this year, after his infamous $7740 spend on an NUW credit card on an Allphones arena box in 2012.
Former union bookkeeper Danielle O’Brien, the niece of accused former NUW state secretary Derrick Belan, says Mr Meaney contacted her from a conference in Hong Kong and asked her to put the payment for this year’s concert through union Eftpos.
Sources close to Mr Meaney confirmed yesterday that the second KISS box was paid through the union but said Mr Meaney had paid the money for the concert back to the union on October 29 — which is less than a week before the NUW was called at the Trade Union Royal Commission.
That date was also several days after Mr Meaney’s predecessor Derrick Belan resigned from the union once it became clear that spending irregularities were set to be raised at TURF.
Mr Meaney was supposedly made Secretary in an attempt to clean up the union in late October.
KISS played at Allphones Arena on October 10 and apparently mostly family and friends of Mr Meaney attended the box he purchased.
The spending comes on top of $4872 on rooms at the Shangri-La for New Year’s Eve for Mr Meaney and his family and $1554 on a flight for his wife to Hong Kong that the Daily Telegraph revealed last week.
The money for the flight Mr Meaney also paid back on October 29.
A spokesman for Mr Meaney said he had been advised by his legal counsel not to comment.
After originally telling union officials after The Daily Telegraph revelations last week that he would stand down pending an investigation, Mr Meaney refused to stand down at a branch committee meeting Friday, telling those assembled that former union secretary Derrick Belan had approved his spending.
Mr Belan denies approving the spending, particularly on the second Kiss box and denies being asked permission before the Shangri-La spending.
Mr Belan himself faced accusations at the Commission that he improperly spent money on a tattoo and dating websites as well as on other personal items.
But while Counsel Assisting in submissions suggested that Mr Belan could face criminal charges, he found Mr Meaney had only possibly contravened the Fair Work Act.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/wayne-meaney-nsw-secretary-spent-more-...