The Department of Parliamentary Services needs greater scrutiny

Senate picks begin today and will capture the attention of political pundits for the next two weeks. Senators will have their resident Instagram jockeys cut clips of their more exciting moments, and media outlets will select the sillier and more offbeat posts about giggling over coffee.

One such moment occurred earlier this year when Liberal Senator Jane Hume drew the attention of a senior executive from the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) to the fact that there were no condoms for sale in the men’s changing rooms in the Parliament House gym, while there were condoms available in the women’s changing rooms.