It’s already been dubbed “marblegate” and “tablegate” – the latest scandal to hit Canberra’s political class today is how an Italian marble table in the cabinet room at Parliament House in Canberra was destroyed during a farewell party on the night Malcolm Turnbull rolled Tony Abbott for the Liberal leadership.
Advertisement
Revellers partied so hard as they farewelled Mr Abbott, they allegedly broke the table as they danced on it in Parliament House on the night of September 14.
An email to the Department of Parliamentary services, said: “It is understood the table may have been damaged by persons standing or dancing up on it. Anecdotally, we have been advised that pieces of the table top were present on the floor on Tuesday morning and more pieces have since been seen in the ministerial offices”.
“During this event a coffee table was damaged”.
The marble table was cracked in half – with a split in the bronze frame caused by the incident.
“Quite a party”, Labor senator Penny Wong said.
Mr Abbott was toppled as leader by Malcolm Turnbull last month after being plagued by poor polls.
However, officials in charge of parliamentary furniture have not investigated the matter and were not allowed to enter the room to retrieve the table until four days after the incident.
Mr Abbott said he had asked the Department of Parliamentary Services to invoice him for the value of the table. “What I’m saying is how can we rely on evidence, anecdotal evidence when it would be the duty of cleaners not to report matters that they sight on ministers’ desks”.
While staff were allowed to remove the table for repairs, they weren’t allowed to make a further inspection of other possible damage, Mr Ryan said.
Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi, chair of the committee hearing these reports, called the Monday night occasion “a celebration with loyal staff” and asked whether there might have been natural faults or cracks in the marble.
Senate President Stephen Parry then questioned why cleaners were releasing information in the first place.
Senator Penny Wong claimed ministers had kept fragments of the $1,000 table as souvenirs, much in the same way jubilant Germans kept fragments of the Berlin Wall after its destruction.
DPS has two quotes to replace the Italian marble.
Advertisement
DPS officer John Ryan replied: “There are many things that are in ministers’ offices, I wouldn’t like to comment”.
