It’s kind of unusual for ministers to have shards or fragments of marble in their offices, correct?
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Tony Abbott says he will pay for a marble table that was damaged during a party he hosted on the night he was dumped as prime minister.
Senator Wong read out an email from Mr Ryan to Department of Parliamentary Services first assistant secretary, Rob Barnes, in which Mr Ryan suggested the table was damaged by “persons standing or dancing up on it”.
While one initial quote for repairs to the table put the cost at $1000, other quotes were much higher.
Labor senator and trade spokeswoman Penny Wong had questioned DPS staff as to why there was no immediate investigation into the damage of Commonwealth property.
Parliamentary staff told the hearing they were denied access to the Cabinet room until the Friday after the table was broken on the Monday night Mr Abbott lost the Coalition leadership to Malcolm Turnbull.
The day after the spill, Cities Minister Jamie Briggs mysteriously turned up to a party meeting in a wheelchair, which he maintains was a result of an ACL injury while exercising.
Mr Ryan replied: “There are a many things that are in minister’s offices, I wouldn’t like to comment”.
A number of his colleagues reportedly pocketed pieces of the Italian marble tabletop as keepsakes after a wild drinking session in the prime ministerial suite.
But other Senators moaned that the committee was taking the word of cleaners, who had broken a “duty of confidentiality” by reporting the damage and trophy-taking.
“Are you seriously telling the committee, Mr President, that your primary concern is the cleaner’s conduct in this?”
The story of the broken table dominated the Senate estimates hearing, as members disagreed on whether the table had been “smashed” or merely “damaged”.
Senator Parry said: “The word smashed is speculative”.
Wong and Bernardi also clashed over the event in the PM’s office, with the ALP senator calling it a “party”, the Liberal preferring “a farewell to loyal staff”.
Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) staff were informed by cleaners the morning after the party that the furniture, in a room just outside the Cabinet Suite described as the “Cabinet anteroom”, was broken.
“We were told there were pieces of the table there”, DPS official John Ryan said.
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The committee heard quotes for a replacement table have been delayed because it is made of Italian marble.
