Officials have revealed a $20,000 taxpayer-funded, custom-made desk is sitting in storage unused, according to an unusual Senate Estimates hearing on Feb. 24.
Liberal Senator Jane Hume pressed the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) regarding excessive spending on custom office furniture.
The amount in question? $56,702.80 (US$35,976.23), including an $8,680 table, a $26,260 wall unit, and a $4,562 fridge—all ordered in 2021 by former DPS Deputy Secretary Cate Saunders.
DPS, which employs about 1,100 staff, is responsible for supporting Parliament through research, security, technology services, art procurement, and visitor operations.
Regarding the workstation, Acting DPS Secretary Jaala Hinchcliffe admitted she didn’t realise the desk existed until she came across it in a Senate response.
“It’s in DPS storage … somewhere in Parliament House,” she said.
Hume, unimpressed, pressed on, “Is there anybody that can explain why this desk isn’t usable?”
Hinchcliffe’s response was, “Senator, I don’t think it’s a question of usability. The desk is simply not in the office. I understand it’s usable and workable, it’s just … in storage.”
Hume pressed further.
“Are we going to leave it in storage until we find somebody special enough? Is it going to go to a prime minister? What’s it going to do?”
In response, Hinchcliffe could only promise to “inquire into the matter.”
Praise for the Craftsmanship
Officials also tried to justify the expense saying it helped staff “utilise and expand their skill base” in furniture craftsmanship.“Is that a serious response?” Hume asked.
Hinchcliffe, however, praised the handiwork.
“The furniture is beautiful,” she said. “It was manufactured in-house, and our staff have done amazing work on it.”
When pressed on who approved the purchases, she had no answers.
“I’ll take that on notice,” she said. “Someone will be able to tell me, but I don’t have that knowledge with me.”
Senator Probes Near $4 Million for Senate Staff
Earlier, Hume turned her focus to the Usher of the Black Rod, John Begley—an officer who maintains order in the upper house.She questioned the decision to spend $3.8 million on bespoke furniture on Senate staff since 2015. This included $69,946 for furniture including a new table office.
“I just want to confirm those numbers. Is that correct?” Hume asked.
Begley confirmed, “Yes, Senator, that’s what we put in our response.”
Hume read aloud the Department’s justification: “$70,000 for the table office covered workstations, storage units, meeting tables, and filing units to accommodate a new fit-out.”
Begley defended the spending, explaining that the changes were part of a larger office reshuffle to consolidate space and make more efficient use of the building.
Hume also pointed out that DPS is now building multiple sit-stand desks for parliamentarians at a cost of $35,359 in the financial year to date.
In response, Begley revealed that the Senate may order more desks next financial year to accommodate additional staff.
“They’re not exactly off-the-shelf,” he admitted. “They have to match the right colour legs, the right colour tabletop … you can imagine, to fit the aesthetic of the building.”
But What About the Old Furniture?
Begley admitted some ended up in storage, while other pieces were simply thrown out.“We look at whether we can dispose of it or sell it, but there’s not much market for second-hand office furniture, especially when it’s 30 years old,” he said.
“Even from Parliament House, it’s usually not worth much.”
Hume jokingly suggested auctioning the items off on Gumtree.
Begley didn’t rule it out but noted that Commonwealth disposal rules require a public auction, something auction houses usually aren’t interested in. The end result? Most of it ends up at the tip.
