The Immigration Department's bosses splashed out half a million dollars for new offices for themselves as one of their first acts in charge.
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But across town, rank-and-file public servants in the department complain they spent months using blankets, beanies and portable heaters to keep the cold at bay as repairs to a dodgy air-conditioning system were delayed.
The department authorised a $508,000 renovation to the fifth floor at Immigration's Belconnen headquarters to provide new offices for executives as new boss Mike Pezzullo and his top lieutenants moved from Customs offices in Civic as part of the merger of the two operations.
Immigration's office arrangements have been a hot topic in Canberra's business, political and public service communities with an anticipated move by the new 13500-strong merged operation into one building now stalled.
A departmental spokeswoman said security arrangements on the top floor of the Chan Street building, which was occupied by successive Immigration Department bosses and their top executives, was not up the standard required by the new Australian Border Force's chiefs.
"Recent renovations were undertaken to ensure staff working with security classified material were accommodated in an appropriate work area," she said.
"Level 5, 6 Chan Street, Belconnen was renovated to accommodate staff that require enhanced security in order to undertake their work.
"No executive offices were refurbished.
"A number of new offices were constructed to accommodate senior executive staff who relocated from Civic to Belconnen.
"The security upgrade was required to take account of the co-location of the Portfolio's executive team including the CEO and the senior executive staff of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service at the Belconnen offices.
"The upgrade was consistent with the requirements of the Protective Security Handbook."
But some Immigration public servants were surprised to see the money being spent on a building that may soon be abandoned with the ill-feeling sharpened by the problems with the air-conditioning at the ageing Customs House on Constitution Avenue in Civic.
When public servants from the Immigration Status Resolution Group (ISRG) moved there in April, the heating and cooling system was not working properly.
"Staff initially wore extra clothes, jackets, scarves and beanies and covered their knees with blankets and … resorting to bringing in portable heaters to warm the place up to be able to work," one insider said.
"Since the staff brought in the portable heaters the place is warmer but on most floors the air-conditioning is still a joke
"The problem is not new, so why was it not addressed before the Easter weekend?"
But a departmental spokeswoman said that work had been done to make the office more comfortable.
"The building manager has been working to address concerns about the temperature at Customs House raised by staff working in the building," she said.
"The building has been reacting to changing temperatures and this has been fixed.
"The temperature of the building has been adjusted and a number of staff have provided positive feedback that conditions have improved."
Immigration's potential move to new offices is now caught up in the government's broader efforts, led by the Finance Department, to rationalise its vast leased office holdings around Canberra and it is unclear when a decision will be made.
