The office of the Governor-General has told a Senate estimates hearing the Governor-General was entitled to use his official Canberra residence, Government House, as the venue for his daughter's wedding reception.
Governor-General David Hurley's daughter was married on March 11, 2023, and the reception was held at Government House.
The house is not available for hire by the general public.
The office of the Governor-General defended using the venue at a hearing before the Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee on Tuesday.
"Government House is the Governor-General's home, and he's entitled to use it in that way," official secretary Paul Singer told the committee.
"When there are more than six guests for a private function hosted at either Government House or Admiralty House [the Governor-General's official residence in Sydney], the Governor-General is invoiced for the costs of that function," he said under questioning from Greens Senator David Shoebridge.
The committee heard the Governor-General paid an invoice in May of $32,787.82 for the wedding.
It itemised staff costs, food, reception, laundry and utilities but the Committee heard the invoice did not include a cost for using Government House.
The committee also heard the Governor-General was directly invoiced for other costs not connected to Government House, like a marquee on the lawns.
"What is the rationale for not providing a cost for the booking of the venue hire itself, which is normally a significant part of anyone's wedding costs?" Senator Shoebridge asked Mr Singer in Senate estimates on Tuesday.
Senator Shoebridge suggested the Governor-General should have obtained a market appraisal to cover the cost of the using Government House as a venue.
"In using it for a wedding – in perhaps arguably the most scenic location in Canberra – how do you determine the fair market valuation of using it as a wedding venue or is there simply no cost associated with securing it as a wedding venue?" Senator Shoebridge asked.
But Mr Singer said that would result in the Governor-General's office making a profit out of the event, which was both "unethical and inappropriate" because he said there was "no cost to the Commonwealth".
Senator Shoebridge rejected that.
"Or, the other way of looking at it, would involve the Commonwealth getting a fair return for the otherwise free use of a public asset," Senator Shoebridge said.
"Zero return is not a fair return on a public asset.
"The booking of any other venue would come at a significant cost."
