Emails held by the Department of Parliamentary Services, based on reports by Parliament House cleaners, suggest pieces of smashed marble were seen in other ministerial offices on the Tuesday morning after the long drinking session. It was cleaners who had to deal with the aftermath of a wild party in the prime ministerial suite on the night Tony Abbott was rolled by Mr Turnbull that resulted in a broken marble coffee table. "It is understood the table may have been damaged by persons standing or dancing up on it. Anecdotally, we have been advised that pieces of the table top were present on the floor on Tuesday morning and more pieces have since been seen in the ministerial offices," said the email to DPS officer Rob Barnes. Liberal minister Jamie Briggs was confined to a wheelchair the day after the party but has denied rumours he had fallen from the table. There were also reports Mr Abbott danced shirtless on the night. There was also a crack to the bronze base of the table, bought for $590 during the 1980s.

On Monday night, Mr Abbott said in a press release he would pay for the damaged table. Senator Penny Wong says Australia should "not be naive" about the future of our diplomatic relations. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "It was my event so I take responsibility for it," Mr Abbott said. He had asked the Department of Parliamentary Services to send him an invoice for the value of the table. It took Tony Abbott and his staff a number of days to vacate the Prime Minister's Office at Parliament House. Credit:Andrew Meares

In the hearing, Senator Penny Wong asked DPS staff why there was no immediate investigation into damage to what was Commonwealth property, saying in "any other work place" if a table was smashed at a leaving party someone would be asked to pay.Senator Penny Wong asked DPS staff why there was no immediate investigation called into damage to what is Commonwealth property, saying in "any other work place" if a table was smashed at a leaving party someone would be asked to pay. "It's kind of unusual for ministers to have shards or fragments of marble in their offices, correct?" Assistant Infrastructure Minister Jamie Briggs emerged in a wheelchair after a wild party in the Prime Minister's suite. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen It's kind of unusual for ministers to have shards or fragments of marble in their offices, correct? Mr Ryan replied: "There are many things that are in ministers' offices, I wouldn't like to comment."

The hearing boiled over when Senate President Stephen Parry suggested that cleaners had broken a "duty of confidentiality" by reporting what they saw in ministerial offices. Senator Wong replied: "So it's the cleaner's fault for telling people that ministers have been souveniring bits of marble? Are you going to go after the cleaners?" "Are you seriously telling the committee, Mr President, that your primary concern is the cleaner's conduct in this?" Parry: "No, I'm not saying that Senator Wong. What I'm saying is how can we rely on evidence, anecdotal evidence when it would be the duty of cleaners not to report matters that they sight on ministers' desks." Wong: "I will place on record that I think it is an extraordinary thing that a presiding officer is concerned about what the cleaners have done here and not about the fact that Commonwealth property has been treated in this way."

Throughout the hearing Labor and Coalition senators wrangled over the correct term of whether the table had been "damaged" or "smashed" during the long drinking session. Senator Parry said: "The word smashed is speculative. It's seriously damaged." Senator Wong said she would agree to "broken in half". The hearing heard further evidence of the siege-like atmosphere in Mr Abbott's office in the days after the spill as his chief of staff, Peta Credlin, and other staffers shredded documents and prepared to hand over the suite to Mr Turnbull. DPS staff were refused access until Friday – four days after Mr Abbott lost the party room ballot – to inspect the broken table.

Loading DPS has two quotes to replace the Italian marble. One under $1000 and a second that is "well over that price", said DPS officer John Ryan. Follow us on Twitter