Three former and current MPs will come to ICAC on Monday, after publicly challenging Eddie Obeid's claims that he never had Ian Macdonald in his office at Parliament House.

Current MP Lynda Voltz and former members Mr Paul O'Grady revealed to The Daily Telegraph this week that, contrary to Mr Obeid's evidence under oath to the inquiry this week, they saw Mr Macdonald in the former Labor powerbroker's office.



When Mr Obeid was recalled to give evidence about a mining tenement, created by Mr Macdonald, which saw his family make millions from their investment in a coal company, he said that Mr Macdonald had never been in his office "in 20 years of me being in politics."



But Ms Voltz told The Daily Telegraph she remembered being in Mr Obeid's office in late 2009, when Mr Macdonald was present.



Mr O'Grady said he recalled a time both men were in Mr Obeid's office between 1991 and 1996.



Former MP Ian West will also give evidence on Monday, with the hearing expected to take half a day.



Findings on the inquiry into Mr Macdonald's decision as resources minister and the Obeid family windfall are due by late July.

Earlier today Macdonald told the corruption watchdog his decision to grant a mining licence to John Maitland meant the Doyles Creek project started more than a year earlier than if it had gone to tender.

It was a response which drew surprise from ICAC Commissioner David Ipp, as it is the first time in the two-month inquiry that Mr Macdonald's efficiency wish has been raised as a reason for his decision.



The inquiry is now in its final two days of investigating Mr Macdonald's decision to award the exploration licence directly to Mr Maitland and a small group of investors.



The hearing has been told Mr Macdonald's own department opposed the decision, but he has insisted in his evidence that he received no formal briefing note advising him against the move.



"If it had gone to an EOI (competitive tender) process at that time, it would have taken another year and a half," Mr Macdonald said.



"That's the first I've heard of it," Commissioner Ipp replied, as Mr Macdonald's counsel Tim Hale SC hasn't raised in during cross examination of previous witnesses.



The former resources minister also said he wanted the Doyles Creek project to be "substantially underway" before he left Parliament.



The inquiry has heard Mr Maitland and other investors turned their initial investments in the project in multi-million dollar windfalls, yet the state made almost nothing from the direct awarding of the lucrative coal asset.



Peter Braham SC, the counsel assisting the inquiry, suggested to Mr Macdonald that the letters of support Mr Maitland got for a training mine project at the site were sought to "create an illusion" which made the direct allocation easier to justify.



But Mr Macdonald said he believed his department had "looked at the whole of the matter...including the (issue of) public benefit."



"There was not much public benefit for Mr Maitland's benefit and a lot more money if you out it out to tender...so it would be irresponsible to directly allocate the resource at Doyles Creek," Mr Braham said.



"I'm not saying that...but (early on in Mr Maitland's idea) it was clear the project needed more work," Mr Macdonald said.



Mr Braham said the department didn't recommend Mr Macdonald "go out to lunch with the (Doyles Creek) proponents", including meals at the Prime Restaurant in Sydney's CBD.

The inquiry continues.

Originally published as MPs saw Macca in Obeid's office