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Australia - Source: ONE News -
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The removal of pot plants from the offices of federal MPs will save taxpayers about $150,965 ($A120,000) a year, a Senate hearing has been told.
To the dismay of senators and lower house members, the plants were removed last month from their Parliament House offices as part of a cost-cutting exercise.
"It's been a difficult thing for all of us," Department of Parliamentary Services secretary Alan Thompson told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday.
The plants were leased and maintained by an outside contractor whose contract was due to expire at end of January.
"We are endeavouring to manage a very limited range of operating funds and certainly for this year we needed to make a saving, and we took that opportunity when this contract came to its end," Thompson said.
While the plants were leased, the pots are owned by the department.
The fate of the pots has yet to be decided and they are in the process of being put into storage.
"The next stage when we have a better understanding of our budget outlook is to take some decisions about whether to hang onto the pots or not," Thompson said.
