Tony Abbott has announced he will pay for a marble table smashed during a party he held after being toppled as Australia's Prime Minister.
The smashed marble table. Photo: Supplied
Mr Abbott held the spill night send-off for staff and colleagues after Malcolm Turnbull claimed the Liberal leadership last month.
Parliamentary officials believe the table "may have been damaged by a person standing or dancing upon it".
"During this event, a coffee table was damaged," Mr Abbott said in a statement.
"I have asked my office to have the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) invoice me for the value of the table.
"It was my event so I take responsibility for it."
Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Photo: AAP
The broken piece of furniture was found just outside the "Cabinet ante-room" where the party was held.
"I'm relieved this sordid affair has come to an end - I'm disappointed it's taken a month to get to the bottom of it," Labor's 'Waste Watch' spokesman Pat Conroy said.
"I'm disappointed about the damage to the public property because all politicians need to be very conscious of their use of the public purse."
The hearing was told that DPS staff were blocked from accessing the room and inspecting the damage for two days.
"For the Cabinet ante-room to be treated so shabbily, for cleaners to be locked out for days, and for no-one to be held accountable for a month reflects very poorly on Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott," Mr Conroy said.
"I would have hoped the new Prime Minister, who claims to be leading a new form of government, might have tried to step in a bit earlier to get this money repaid."
The Senate committee also heard that DPS staff were informed by cleaners the morning after the party about the broken item.
"We were told there were pieces of the table there," DPS official John Ryan said.
"Some of the pieces of marble were found by the cleaners, yes."
Labor senator Penny Wong responded by saying: "Quite a party."
"Anecdotally we have been advised that pieces of the table top were present on the floor Tuesday morning and more pieces have since been seen in ministerial offices," an email between DPS staff said.
Senator Wong suggested Minister for Cities Jamie Briggs could shed some light on what happened that night.
He was seen in a wheelchair the day after, but denied his injury happened during the party, taking to Twitter to state he was not dancing on a table: "I didn't, I've done an ACL, running."
Mr Briggs told Sky News on Monday night he was not present when the table was broken, and disputed the characterisation of the event as a "party".
"I don't think you could describe, well certainly the event I was at, as a party," Mr Briggs said.
"It was a pretty brutal night. When someone loses the prime ministership, don't think you'd describe it as a party afterwards.
"This is really, frankly, a waste of everyone's time," he added, after repeated questioning on the subject.
The table was purchased in the 1980s for $590.
The committee heard quotes for a replacement table have been delayed because it is made of Italian marble.
- ABC