Taxpayers foot the bill for TVs, treadmills and ‘tea point’ for public servants

TAXPAYERS have foot the bill for ­almost $60 million in office “fit outs” for Australia’s well-kept federal public servants, including millions of dollars spent on luxurious Melbourne office upgrades.

Taxpayers have foot the $60 million bill for office “fit outs” for Australia’s well-kept federal public servants. Picture: Supplied

EXCLUSIVE: TAXPAYERS have foot the bill for ­almost $60 million in office “fit outs” for Australia’s well-kept federal public servants last year, including millions of dollars spent on luxurious Melbourne office upgrades.

The Department of Human Services accounted for more than half of the cash splash, renovating 26 of its buildings across Australia which ­included a $4 million makeover to its Bourke St offices in Melbourne’s CBD.

As a comparison, the government has committed $4.5 million over four years to encourage women to take up STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Boffins in embattled Minister Michaelia Cash’s Department of Jobs and Innovation will have more incentive to make their own lunch at work after the government ticked off on a $210,643 shared kitchen for only 75 staff in a Melbourne office.

An extra $38,000 was spent on a “tea point” where hardworking bureaucrats can make themselves a cuppa during the day.

A ‘tea point’ for public servants to make themselves a cuppa cost taxpayers $38,000.

In Canberra, voters lucky enough to be invited inside the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s headquarters might get a chance to sit on one of four “chateau tub chairs” purchased for more than $1500 each and billed to taxpayers.

A timber coffee table for the executive area costing $2200 was also funded from the public purse.

Bureaucrats at the Department of Agriculture will have few excuses not to stay fit after taxpayers covered the $313,000 bill to move their gym closer to their office space.

Taxpayers also paid almost $12,000 for two new treadmills for fitness fanatics at the Department of Environment and Energy and $2640 for 40 new sandwich presses.

Employees in the government’s new Home Affairs super ministry didn’t miss out, with $141,000 spent on new white goods.

The Department of Agriculture and Water also ordered blockout blinds to be installed in the offices of its secretary and deputy secretary, and two adjoining meeting rooms, at a cost of $61,000.

The $60 million boost to bureaucratic offices is the same amount of money the government committed to tackling the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish in the Great Barrier Reef.

The Coalition also announced it would spend an extra $60 million on the Mobile Black Spot Program to improve mobile coverage for people in regional and remote Australia.

For $60 million the government is also duplicating a 5km stretch of road on the Capricorn Highway between Rockhampton and Gracemere and building new the Cradle Mountain cableway.

A spokesman from DHS — the department responsible for more than half of the spending — said it needed to maintain and upgrade its properties to ensure they are fit for purpose for customers and staff.

“The Department of Human Services manages the largest non-­defence property portfolio in the Commonwealth, the majority of these properties consist of our customer facing service centre network.”

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