Immigration Senate estimates hearings are usually a battlefield between the department boss and the Greens but have briefly descended into a book club meeting.
Department secretary Michael Pezzullo and Greens senator Nick McKim found common ground on Monday evening over their mutual love for Lord of the Rings books and films.
Senator McKim quizzed him about a speech he gave recently to the Trans-Tasman Business Circle about Australia's soon to be established home affairs department which had references to the film.
"You said in your speech 'after saving Middle Earth by casting the ring into the fires of Mordor... the comfortable hobbits that stayed behind looked at them suspiciously these fellows who were a bit above themselves'," Senator McKim said.
"The hobbits go back into their gardens, they go back into their beautifully kept hobbit holes not knowing the sacrifices that had been endured to keep them safe."
Senator McKim said what actually happened was the four Hobbits came back and scoured the Shire themselves and took care of their own problems without compromising their freedoms and liberties.
Mr Pezzullo pointed out the book ending was different from the movie.
Senator McKim asked him whether the hobbits were a metaphor for the Australian people.
"In this fantasy are you Gandalf?" Senator McKim asked.
"I think we're overextending the analogy here," Mr Pezzullo said, adding the use of his reference to Lord of the Rings in the speech was "self-evident".
Mr Pezzullo asked if Senator McKim was a fan of the trilogy.
"We've got a common point of interest," he said.
Liberal committee chairman Ian Macdonald said he had no idea what they were talking about and hurried them up because the hearing was running three hours late.
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