Royal Commission to Inquire into the Centenary House Lease

Appointed by Letters Patent issued by Governor-General Michael Jeffery on 24 June 2004 on the advice of the Howard government, countersigned by the Attorney-General for the Prime Minister, naming the Hon David Hunt AO QC, former Chief Judge at Common Law of the NSW Supreme Court, as sole Commissioner. It was to inquire into the circumstances of the 15-year lease of Centenary House to the Australian National Audit Office (from 1993) by John Curtin House Ltd, which had been examined by Trevor Morling's royal commission in 1994: whether later market trends cast new light on that inquiry's findings, whether the lease was in line with comparable leases, whether the 1994 inquiry had been adequately framed and resourced, the advice given before the lease was entered into, and any payments, inducements or misleading statements. The report was due by 15 October 2004. The commission's website was hosted by the Attorney-General's Department.

Legislation: Royal Commissions Act 1902

Hunt reported in December 2004 (published as Parliamentary Paper No. 26 of 2005). He found that the 1994 inquiry had been inadequate and that the rent, with its 9% annual ratchet clause, was excessive and should not have been agreed by a prudent government; he criticised several public servants but made no finding of corrupt conduct by John Curtin House Ltd or the ALP. The exact date the report was presented has not been confirmed. The Parliamentary Handbook gives 6 December 2004 as the date the final report was presented.

• Review of the 1994 royal commission into the Centenary House lease
• Comparison of the lease with comparable government and private leases
• Inquiry into the advice given to Commonwealth agencies before the lease was entered into

Last in the portfolio of Attorney-General's Department.

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Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.