Two senators who commissioned an Australian-made dining set for Parliament House say they are astounded nobody, including the Prime Minister, will accept their gift.

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon and Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Senator John Madigan forked out $11,000 from their own pockets for the crockery to promote Australian-made goods.

Senator Madigan says he was prompted to buy the set after discovering the Parliament's current dinnerware was produced in the United Arab Emirates.

"I quite often turn over things in Parliament House – chairs, tables and whatever else. I looked for the source of [the dining set and] I found it was made in the UAE – I was disgusted," Senator Madigan said.

He and Senator Xenophon then decided to commission two Victorian companies to make the dining sets, which feature the parliamentary crest.

But Senator Madigan says no-one will take them.

"We're talking about an Australian product that is purchased by Senator Xenophon and myself at no cost to the taxpayers – what better value for money could you get for that?" he asked.

Senators Madigan and Xenophon unveiled the crockery at Parliament today and said it had been sitting packed in boxes in Senator Madigan's office for eight months.

"If you ask me, this is a whole lot of crock," Senator Xenophon said.

"The Parliament should have Australian-made crockery in its dining room.

"Most Australians would want their MPs eating off Australian-made crockery, not something made in another country."

Rudd, Abbott offered crockery as gift from senators

Senator Madigan wrote to former prime minister Kevin Rudd as well as Tony Abbott when he was opposition leader, requesting they accept the gift on behalf of the Parliament.

Mr Rudd never responded but Mr Abbott did write back in August last year, although did not directly address the issue of the crockery set.

He instead launched a political attack on the then-Labor government.

"The Coalition believes that the Commonwealth should prioritise Australian-made goods, provided there is value for taxpayer money," Mr Abbott wrote.

"Had Labor given more attention to the procurement practices in place at Parliament House, they would not have sold two parliamentary billiard tables for $5,000 and then spent $102,500 finding out whether they got true value for money."

Senator Xenophon says they have a "plan B" if there is no resolution by Thursday - vowing to dump the plates in the offices of Mr Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

Victorian potter Robert Gordon said he was not mounting a "bleeding heart" case or seeking a subsidy.

"A lot of small companies can bash away at a bit of metal or bash away at a bit of clay and make things, and the Government can get in behind and support people - maybe we can put on another 20 or 30 people," he said.

The senators are trying to get support from the major political parties for a Senate inquiry into the Parliament's procurement processes.

Comment is being sought by the ABC from the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader.