The mystery of The Lodge luggage lift deepens.
Government officials initially told a Senate estimates hearing the $83,000 lift in the prime minister's official Canberra residence was planned under Julia Gillard.
The idea behind the lift was to improve the safety of carrying luggage up and down the staircase, on which a staff member has been injured.
In November last year, officials corrected the record to say it was in fact first proposed in October 2013, just after Tony Abbott won government.
At the time, Labor's waste watch committee spokesman Matt Keogh was scathing of the spending.
"Moving into The Lodge is a step down for Mr Harbourside Mansion, so having a luggage lift in his second home will probably help Malcolm feel a bit less homesick," he said.
However, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet told the Senate estimates committee the first record it had been able to find relating to the lift was in the minutes of The Lodge Project Steering Committee meeting on February 23, 2012.
The committee was also told it was an Australian-made lift.
