Parliament House security officers wear disposal painting suits that cost just $1.38 when testing potentially deadly white powder found around the building.
In response to questions on notice from Senate Estimates, the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS), which runs the Security Branch (also known as the Department of Security Services, DSS; and Parliamentary Security Services, PSS) of uniformed officers in Parliament House confirmed officers used the cheap, disposable suits.
"These coveralls are used by PSS officers for responding to an unidentified substance that has already been risk assessed as a low-risk unidentified substance," DPS said
"The coveralls are procured from WINC Australia Pty LIMITED" and cost "$1.38 (GST Excl.)"
The same coveralls are sold at Bunnings Warehouse for $6.94.
BuzzFeed News revealed in May that Parliament House security officers felt their lives were being put in danger due to lack of equipment and training, after they were asked to perform a test on unidentified white powder sent to prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's office while wearing cheap, disposal suits.
Instead of following the Parliament House security manual’s “response to white powder detection” procedure and calling the ACT Fire & Rescue Hazardous Material team, officers from the building's loading dock were sent to test the powder.
Security staff told BuzzFeed News they hadn't been formally trained in how to operate the mobile testing device used to determine whether powder was hazardous, and despite a $126 million security upgrade currently underway in Parliament House, they are under-equipped to do their jobs.
In the months since BuzzFeed News broke this story, whistleblowers say there has been no improvement to safety or training provided.
In June BuzzFeed News revealed that officers had gone on strike and refused to test potentially hazardous material, because they said management was ignoring their concerns.
In response to questions on notice from Labor senator Kimberley Kitching, DPS said there are currently 19 PSS officers trained in the use of the HazMat mobile testing device.
Staff dispute this, complaining in emails sent to DPS management in June that they still had not been provided with any formal training in how to use the device by DPS or DSS.
Instead, they were given the manual and told to read it and teach themselves.
"It troubles me that we have received no certified training in the operation of the HazmatID Elite machine," one email said. "I feel this poses an unacceptable level of risk, not only to me, but to other who may be caught up in a 'suspicious powder' incident. No-one has training in the HazMatID Elite. The people using it have read the manual, but not received any formal training.
"Additionally, I am not entirely satisfied with the actual Hazmat machine with regards to its reliability or function."
A security source told BuzzFeed News that instead of providing additional training, the untrained officers have instead been asked to instruct their security supervisors in how to use the machine, so that in the event of a white powder incident, supervisors can conduct the testing.
Labor senator Kimberley Kitching says the situation is unacceptable.
"Our hardworking parliamentary security officers deserve better than being sent to deal with potentially hazardous substances with nothing more to protect them than a pair of coveralls that cost $1.38," Kitching told BuzzFeed News.
Kitching said it's time the government stopped sitting on its hands and did something to address what she describes as "ongoing mismanagement".
"DPS management has a lot of explaining to do," she said. "This latest development comes on top of the lost Parliament House security manual and the mishandled white powder incident in a busy public area of the building."