Explosive documents tendered at a corruption inquiry suggest former Labor minister Joe Tripodi and his colleague Eric Roozendaal abandoned government policy to support Nathan Tinkler's billion-dollar plans for a coal terminal.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption heard on Tuesday that Mr Tripodi, then a Labor backbencher, was flown to Newcastle in Mr Tinkler's helicopter to meet executives from the coal mogul's company Buildev in November 2010.

Helicopter trip: Former Labor powerbroker Joe Tripodi. Credit:Rob Homer

Internal Buildev notes reveal the company was plotting with Mr Tripodi to get government support for a $1 billion coal terminal in the Newcastle suburb of Mayfield.

Mr Tripodi's colleague, the then Newcastle MP Jodi McKay, supported the government-approved policy for a container terminal to be built on the Mayfield site, but Buildev wanted this stopped at all costs.