Former state minister Damien Tudehope said the fallout from the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption's Operation Rosny had caused him to limit his contact with his son James.
The younger Tudehope has been sought to appear at the probe examining alleged illicit political donations and branch-stacking by the Reformers, a conservative Christian faction in the state Liberals.
But he has refused to co-operate and remains in New Zealand, where he moved to work as a teacher.
"I haven't spoken to him for over a month unfortunately because of those proceedings," the sullen senior Liberal MP told the commission on Tuesday.
"Which is tragic, quite frankly. Tragic."
He agreed with counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer, who said the lack of communication was because he did not want any perception of impropriety.
"I have encouraged him to (appear) but he's obtaining his own advice," Mr Tudehope said.
James Tudehope worked at Catholic Schools NSW, which receives more than $3.5 billion in combined state and federal taxpayer funds.
Allegations staffers funnelled prohibited political donations to fund the factional work of the Reformers are being examined.
The senior Liberal MP, who stepped down from being shadow attorney-general earlier in July, recalled his son being stressed at a Sunday family lunch over a contract with lobbyist and former Liberal staffer Christian Ellis.
"He complained to me on two occasions ... he thought that he was being put under pressure to process invoices ... and he didn't think they were getting value for work. That was his complaint to me," he said.
When pressed by Dr Dwyer on who was applying that pressure, Mr Tudehope confirmed it was Mr Ellis.
He advised his son to raise it with former Catholic Schools NSW boss Dallas McInerney.
In messages aired to the probe, Mr McInerney been accused of soliciting undeclared donations from federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor to prop up the faction, ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 and monthly retainers of $3000.
In the last hour of hearings on Tuesday, the senior Tudehope also admitted he had had a "casual" conversation with former premier Dominic Perrottet about the whereabouts of his younger brother Jean-Claude Perrottet.
Dominic Perrottet told Mr Tudehope his brother was in Fiji despite being asked by reporters at the time why he refused to appear before a 2023 NSW upper-house inquiry into the same matters raised by ICAC.
The younger Mr Perrottet is expected to face the commission in the coming days.
The ex-premier and his brothers Charles and Jean-Claude, along with Mr Tudehope, were also part of a WhatsApp chat called "Back to Basics" aimed at growing the conservative faction's base, the probe heard.
Mr Tudehope further admitted that he leaked a confidential draft parliamentary report to Jeremy Greenwood, another lobbyist affiliated with the Liberal Party and member of the Reformers.
The draft report was from a 2023 parliamentary probe into the allegations of illicit donations and branch-stacking, which he felt was political.
Mr Tudehope defended his attendance and appearances at Reformers recruitment events during 2018, including "Children versus Radical Gender Ideology" and "Your Religious Freedom".
He suggested his aim at the events was only to engage on social issues.
Mr Tudehope was not a member of the Reformers, but was closely associated with several members through involvement in the party's right-wing faction.
The commission is investigating allegations the Reformers solicited or accepted money from prohibited donors using sham contracts to assist their factional mission.
A focus of the operation is alleged links between fugitive property developer Jean Nassif, who is wanted over fraud allegations, and Liberal Party members.
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