A former detective who led the investigation into William Tyrrell's disappearance says he was told by his superior that "no one cares" about the toddler and the case should be moved "off the books" to unsolved homicide.

The comment can be revealed after the NSW Police Commissioner was temporarily granted a court order blocking its publication. The order was withdrawn on Wednesday afternoon.

Gary Jubelin, 57, is facing a hearing in Downing Centre Local Court accused of illegally recording four conversations with person of interest Paul Savage, 75, during the investigation into William's disappearance. He maintains he had a legitimate operational need for the recordings.

William, 3, vanished from his foster-grandmother's home in the NSW Mid North Coast town of Kendall on September 12, 2014.