Former bikie Alex Baldacchino allowed to keep working

Alex Baldacchino was last year stripped of his own car repair license after a string of criminal convictions - which he then lied about on official forms.

But yesterday it was revealed he was still involved in operating his workshop, Penrith Mechanical Repairs, on his son's license after a restriction on him managing or directing a business was left up in the air.

In 2003 Baldacchino was caught driving a customer's car without permission after putting false numberplates on the vehicle, while four years later he was given a six-month suspended sentence for threatening a mechanic who was involved in a dispute with his family.

He was ordered into home detention in 2010 for seven months after he was found driving a car which had been reported stolen then rebirthed twice.

NSW Fair Trading last year cancelled his workshop license indefinitely.

Baldacchino appealed to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal, which instead gave him the mandatory 10-year ban.

Yesterday the tribunal was told it remained a"real problem" for Fair Trading that no official orders had been made about him running a workshop on his son's license.

Patrick Griffin, representing the department, said the issue needed to be dealt with urgently as the public was "at risk".

Baldacchino said the workshop kept coming up "squeaky clean" despite Fair Trading officials continually returning and "harassing" them.

"It goes back to my background as an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang member, which I got out of 10 years ago," he said.

Baldacchino made no mention of his 2003 conviction when he applied for his repairer's license and in later annual renewals failed to reveal full details of his criminal record or that he had recently been declared bankrupt.

In a previous judgement, the tribunal found it was "oppressive" to make his license ban indefinite and remove any hope he might "reform himself".

The hearing continues next month.