Tailgater spends two hours in parliament

A woman without a security pass managed to spend two hours in Parliament House, including parking in a secure car park and attending a function.

A Senate committee heard on Monday that the woman had tailgated a security pass holder into the House of Representatives car park on March 25 last year.

The woman then went to the House wing security screening point and was allowed through without a pass.

One of the security officers mistakenly believed her to be an MP.

She asked the security officers for directions to the Great Hall and an unnamed MP who was at the screening point offered to escort her through a secure area of the building to the hall.

One incident report suggested she was an invited guest at the function, but the three reports filed had conflicting details.

Security officers checked CCTV footage and, after waiting for the function to finish, advised her to leave the building which she did two hours after having tailgated her way into the car park.

Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, who had unsuccessfully sought details of the incident at May and October estimates hearings, said he found it extraordinary that he had been "snowballed" in previous hearings.

"This is unacceptable," he said.

The committee heard there had been several incidents of tailgaters entering the secure parliamentary car parks.