Senator Bolkus asked the Minister representing the Attorney-General, upon notice, on 10 April 1997:

(1) What was the cost to the Australian Protective Service of the provision of normal staffing levels at Admiralty House on the night that Ms Melanie Howard hosted a party for the University of Sydney Law Revue at the Marine Barracks.

(2) What was the cost to the APS of the provision of normal staffing levels on the 7 nights preceding and the 7 nights following the night referred to in (1).

Senator Vanstone —The Attorney-General has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

In line with long established government policy, I do not intend to provide specific details about the guarding arrangements in place at Admiralty House.

However, I reiterate my response to the honourable senator's earlier question an this matter

The Australian Protective Service was not tasked by its client, the Protective Services Coordination Centre to provide additional guarding for Ms Howard's function. Normal guarding arrangements were in place on the night in question and the cost did not vary on any of the 7 nights preceding or following the night of the function.

The Prime Minister has stated that all costs associated for this function were privately paid for.