Speaking from experience as a former political staffer in Canberra, the Department of Parliamentary Services runs like a relic of pre-Thatcher Whitehall. Reporting to the Parliament's presiding officers (currently Speaker Tony Smith and Senate president Stephen Parry, both Liberals), it ordinarily flies under the radar. But its decision to impose harsh lease conditions that will force the iconic Aussies cafe out of Parliament House ought garner them some unwelcome scrutiny.

Last week, without warning or explanation, DPS hit Aussies' proprietor, Domenic Calabria, with a 70 per cent rent hike (from $94,000 to $160,000 per annum), a new tenure-by-licence arrangement granted on a month-by-month basis and, most outrageously, has ordered him to stop using the name "Aussies". The new conditions also give DPS a right of veto over the contents of the menu and its prices, and require Calabria to establish key performance indicators for his part-time staff, which include his mother and sister. Yep, DPS wants to file a performance review for Mamma Calabria's tomato soup. Can you believe it?

DPS bureaucrats have also demanded the right to examine his business records, including turnover and profit figures and on one day audited his records three times.

Dom Calabria, owner of Aussie's Cafe, at Parliament House in Canberra. Andrew Meares

The Turnbull government's own Small Business Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, will be seeking an explanation from DPS head Rob Stefanic on what appeared to be an "extremely unfair" licence agreement that she argued would never be tolerated in the private sector.

"While they're not bound to do so, I call on all government departments to lead by example and ensure their contractual agreements with small businesses aren't at odds with legislation outlawing unfair 'take it or leave it' contract terms," she said. "The reason the government set up the ombudsman's office is to act on behalf of small businesses who become involved in exactly these sorts of situations." Here's hoping sanity prevails.