Parliament dept 'dysfunctional': report

The department which oversees Parliament House is "deeply dysfunctional", a Senate committee has found, a week after its secretary lost her job.

An interim report from the finance and public administration legislation committee has further criticised the leadership of Carol Mills, who it alleges misled the committee over a spying incident in Parliament House.

It also argues Ms Mills' standing as a witness has been "seriously eroded" after the Department of Parliamentary Services commissioned a photographer who lived in her Sydney street.

Last year the Senate's privileges committee investigated the use of CCTV in a case involving a department staff member.

Footage of an employee placing an envelope under the door of Labor senator John Faulkner in February 2014 was used as part of a disciplinary investigation.

The committee concluded Ms Mills contradicted her own evidence, given to previous hearings and in writing, about when she found out about the use of CCTV.

It intends to further press her about the "inconsistencies".

The committee report also slams the process undertaken to commission Anne Zahalka for photographic works for the 25th anniversary of Parliament House.

Given the absence of three months worth of documents outlining how the contract was awarded and Ms Mills' perceived conflict of interest, the process eptiomises the "failings" that still exist in the department, it said.

"Overall, the evidence to the committee so far demonstrates DPS, as currently managed, is deeply dysfunctional.

"The committee has no confidence in the evidence provided to date by Ms Mills to explain the contradictory evidence outlined in the privileges committee report or her role in the commissioning of the photographic works by Ms Zahalka."

Last week, parliament's presiding officers revealed Ms Mills was no longer serving as the department's secretary.

The committee noted its interim report was drafted before the announcement.