SES boss saw no issue with hiring a mate THE State Emergency Services (SES) commissioner didn't believe appointing a close friend to a senior role constituted a conflict of interest. Murray Kear, who has led the SES for five years, is being investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for, among other things, hiring his "friend and mate" Steven Pearce as a deputy commissioner. Mr Kear sat in on Mr Pearce's initial interview with the SES in 2010 but didn't declare he had known him since at least 2008 and had worked with him at Fire and Rescue NSW. The ICAC also heard the men had been on several joint family camping trips. Mr Pearce was hired by Mr Kear after the deputy commissioner role was turned down by two other candidates, Mr Kear told the ICAC. SES internal guidelines, tendered in ICAC, list examples of potential conflicts of interest. "Seeking to influence the objective selection of family members, friends or anyone with whom the member has a personal relationship for positions or opportunities in the SES," is one such example, according to the documents. But Mr Kear was adamant there was no conflict of interest relating to hiring Mr Pearce, thus he had no reason to report it. "I didn't see it that way," he told the ICAC. "You were doing the very thing that your own code was telling you not to do," ICAC commissioner David Ipp said. Tara McCarthy, the deputy commissioner of corporate services at the SES, also made corruption allegations against Mr Pearce. She was hired in November 2012 as a governance specialist. Her job was to ensure contracts complied with legislation, to review overtime expenditure which was nearing $1 million annually and make sure travel allowances weren't being rorted. She allegedly discovered Mr Pearce had granted a co-worker almost $60,000 in overtime payments, had used SES credit cards for modifications to a work vehicle - including roof racks to carry surfboards - and had signed contracts worth about $400,000 without tender. He also allegedly forged documents in an attempt to prove he had counselled staff about overtime. The fee for the modifications, which Mr Kear approved, was repaid by Mr Pearce about 15 months later - after Ms McCarthy "discovered the anomaly," the ICAC heard. Mr Kear reviewed the allegations and told Ms McCarthy no further inquiry was needed. "At no stage during your review of any of those issues did you disclose to anybody that Steven Pearce was your mate," counsel assisting the commission Michael Fordham asked Mr Kear. I didn't see it as necessary," Mr Kear replied. The ICAC also heard Mr Kear gave Mr Pearce a pay rise with back pay a month after being placed on a performance review program. Mr Kear, who took voluntary leave when the investigation was announced, will finish giving evidence on Friday. Mr Pearce has been suspended on full pay.