Held three times a year, estimate hearings are one of the few opportunities members of Parliament have to directly question key departmental officials and ministers over how funds are being spent. Senators are able to join committees with the permission of the chair. Pauline Hanson skipped estimates hearings in October and February, and has yet to appear at the latest round. Credit:Andrew Meares Senator Hanson spent the first round of hearings held after her election in Norfolk Island, and the second in Queensland, holding a press conference and dining with her state leader in the Queensland Parliament. With One Nation facing a firestorm of controversy over a leaked recording of chief-of-staff James Ashby discussing ways to make money out of the upcoming Queensland election, Senator Hanson has spent the past two days in Western Australia, where three of her party members were being sworn in to the state's Parliament. Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Penny Wong, who has made a name for herself during estimate hearings for her pointed attacks, said the One Nation senator appeared to have her priorities wrong.

"Instead of spending her time trying to work out how to make money out of her members and the taxpayers, maybe Senator Hanson should do what she was elected to do and represent her constituents," she said. "I've taken all steps that I reasonably believe necessary": Malcolm Roberts. Credit:Andrew Meares As of midday on Tuesday, Malcolm Roberts was the only member of One Nation to have asked questions over the 10 days of hearings held so far. The three members of the Nick Xenophon team have appeared at almost 90 hearings. Senator Xenophon, who is often seen by Senate colleagues running between committee rooms, has fronted more than half of those himself. Nick Xenophon hopes he's not Greek. Or Cypriot. Credit:Andrew Meares

Victorian senator Derryn Hinch, who has made it to almost 30 hearings, said they were a chance for politicians to "live up to our electoral promise to keep the bastards honest". "I am surprised that Senator Hanson and some of her colleagues aren't here, and some other crossbenchers," he said. "But then, their attendance in the Senate when we are in session is also pretty cavalier. "Attending Senate estimates is part of our job. It's also partly why we will only formally sit for 15 weeks this year." Senator Xenophon did not want to single out any MPs, saying that while estimates at times could be "mind-numbingly frustrating", they were important for accountability.

"But there are many other ways MPs can do their jobs effectively," he said. Senator Hanson grabbed headlines before the February session of hearings, claiming she was "seething" over former Australia Post head Ahmed Fahour's $5.6 million pay, but missed her chance to question him directly, when she failed to attend his session. Instead, Senator Hanson has put her questions to One Nation staff manning a camera she uses to record messages for her social media pages. But that is set to change, Mr Ashby said in response to questions from Fairfax Media over her latest absence. Loading

"She has Senate estimates commitments from Wednesday onwards," he said. Senate estimates will continue into next week, with the last session for this year being held in November.