Ministerial table broken at Abbott’s post-ousting party

It’s kind of unusual for ministers to have shards or fragments of marble in their offices, correct?

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.

On Monday, Labor Senator Penny Wong brought the issue into Senate estimates, by asking Department of Parliamentary Services representative, John Ryan, about the alleged broken table.

Department of Parliamentary Services assistant secretary, John Ryan, said staff were not allowed access to the anteroom until September 18, despite a number of requests.

John Ryan: We were told there were pieces of the table there.

Mr Ryan also told the committee that DPS staff were blocked from accessing the room and inspecting the damage for two days.

Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi has questioned the description of the Cabinet coup night event as a “party” and suggested the table may have had existing “structural flaws” or “natural weaknesses”.

Senator Wong: How do you…what, pieces of the marble broke?

“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”, said the email to DPS officer Rob Barnes.

The committee then addressed the topic of a missing set of crockery, believed to have been unaccounted for in Bronwyn Bishop’s office stocktake in August.

“I’d say if the marble was in bits, I’d say it was smashed”, Ms Wong suggested.

An inspection found the table cracked in half and a small crack to the bronze frame.

“That is what our focus has been on – getting the damage fixed”, he said.

Senate President Stephen Parry went further, saying the cleaners may have breached their duty of confidentiality and he would be seeking advice on this.

Wong: “I will place on record that I think it is an extraordinary thing that a presiding officer is concerned about what the cleaners have done here and not about the fact that Commonwealth property has been treated in this way”.

“It would have been a basic contractual obligation not to be reporting on what they find in ministerial offices”, Senator Parry said.