Centenary House was a building in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, Australia. It consisted of five levels and was located at 19 National Circuit, Barton.
It was the national headquarters of the
Australian National Audit Office
The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) is the supreme audit institution of Australia, functioning as the national auditor for the Parliament of Australia and Government of Australia. It reports directly to the Australian Parliament via the ...
(usually known as the ANAO, a Commonwealth Government entity). The building was owned until July 2005 by
John Curtin House Limited, an entity wholly owned by the ALP. The leasing of part of Centenary House to the ANAO was the subject of political controversy for more than ten years.
Centenary House was built in 1991 and the ALP (through
Lend Lease
Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...
, a property company) negotiated a lease with the ANAO. This lease began on 23 September 1993, for 15 years (that is, it is to conclude on 23 September 2008).
The total area that was leased was 6,297 square metres. In 1993, the rent to be charged was $367.95 per square metre. Due to a "ratchet clause", which specifies that the annual rent would increase by 9% or market rates (whichever is the greater), in 2004 the annual rent is $949.47. The current estimated market price in Canberra for rented space is $330.00.
The Federal Opposition (the
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
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* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
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-
National
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Coalition at that time) demanded an enquiry to what they saw as a "
rort
Rort or RORT may refer to:
* An Australian term for fraud
* Corruption in Australia
* Tarama Airport
is located in Tarama, Miyako District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an i ...
" and the
Keating ALP Government set up a
Royal Commission.
The Royal Commission (headed by
Trevor Morling QC) found that the rent charged "was a fair market rental for accommodation in a building such as Centenary House. This was supported by extensive market evidence and there is nothing to suggest that it was excessive". The ratchet clause was also found as justified because it was "well supported by historical rent movements" and that "the length of the term is not disadvantageous to the Commonwealth".
A second Royal Commission was appointed by the
Howard
Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
government, and during 2004 Howard government ministers, particularly
Tony Abbott
Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia.
Abbott was born in Londo ...
, repeatedly accused the ALP of improperly profiting from the alleged "rort" of the lease. The Royal Commission reported in December 2004.
The report of the Royal Commissioner, Hon
David Hunt, AO QC, found that the original inquiry was inadequate. It found that the rent was excessive and should not have been entered into by a prudent government. The report was critical of several public servants, but did not make any findings of corrupt conduct by John Curtin House Limited or the Australian Labor Party.
In July 2005, the ALP National Secretary,
Tim Gartrell
Tim Gartrell (born 1970) is an Australian political advisor currently serving as the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Australia under Anthony Albanese. He previously served as the National Secretary of the Australian Labor Party betwee ...
, announced that the building had been sold for more than $30 million.
In November 2021 Centenary House was demolished. It is to be replaced with six-storey office building.
References
External links
Crikey – The Centenary House scandalThe website of the second Royal Commission
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Office buildings in Canberra