Roger Price (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Taxpayers’ money. Those extra chairs work out at a quarter of a million dollars each. They must surely be the most expensive chairs in the land and it is no wonder that, once news got out of this proposed extension to accommodate two chairs, those plans were pulled. My point is: why did those plans ever exist in the first place? It is just another example of a tired and very arrogant government who is out of touch with Western Sydney families. There is a litany of money being wasted: $125,000 to relocate a staircase at Kirribilli House; $101,272 to renovate the Lodge dining room; $35,000 to renovate the bathrooms at Kirribilli House; $29,000 for wardrobe construction at Kirribilli House—some wardrobes, some clothes—$64,433 for a new back staircase at Kirribilli House; $82,000 for a 20-seat table and chairs at Kirribilli House. These were not especially provided for the Liberal fundraising function that we have heard about today; these were part of the permanent fixtures at Kirribilli House. There is $25,645 to renovate the Prime Minister’s Sydney office; $19,400 for four single-seat Chesterfield lounges and six new chairs for the Canberra office; $16,613 to replace a dinner set at the Lodge. Mr Deputy Speaker, I have not listed every expenditure—far from it—but you can understand, I am sure, that my constituents do not relate to this indulgence. They do not relate to expenditure on such a grand scale. I make the point: this is all their money. It is all taxpayers’ money that is funding these renovations.

But if anything symbolised just how out of touch the Prime Minister has become—why he is no longer able to relate to the so-called Howard battlers—it is this proposed extension of the Parliament House dining room in the Prime Minister’s suite at a cost of $540,000. And I might point out that $65,000 of that has already been spent. There are other things that I could speak on tonight but I notice that the honourable member for Kennedy is in the chamber and I am happy to yield to him.

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