Defence Minister David Johnston's office is in chaos, with two staff members shown the door as the Defence Department launched an investigation into a damaging leak of the minister's expense receipts.
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The departure of the two staff members came on the morning that leaked receipts revealing restaurant bills racked up by Senator Johnston and his chief-of-staff Sean Costello were published in the media.
Fairfax Media understands that no accusations relating to the leak were made against the two staff members, media adviser Mark Dodd and an international policy adviser, whom Fairfax Media is not naming.
Nor were they given any reason why they were being asked to leave, it is understood.
Fairfax Media understands they were not fired. Mr Dodd was already planning to leave the office early next year, but today's decision brought forward his departure date as he still had leave entitlements.
The second adviser was on transfer from the Defence Department and is now expected to return to a position in the department. But both departures on Wednesday morning were abrupt and unexpected.
They were asked to leave by Mr Costello and also the office's legal adviser David Mason, Fairfax Media has been told.
They were then escorted from the building without having any chance to clear their desks. They were made to surrender their security passes and office-issued devices such as phones and tablets.
Their departure follows a horror week last week for Senator Johnston after he declared he would not trust government shipbuilder ASC to "build a canoe", sparking speculation that he would be dumped in a future Cabinet reshuffle.
Senator Johnston's spokesman said the Defence Department was investigating the leak of the restaurant receipts, which showed that Senator Johnston and Mr Costello spent thousands of dollars last month on restaurant bills entertaining defence industry heads and foreign dignitaries.
The receipts were leaked to News Ltd in what appears to have been an effort to damage Senator Johnston and Mr Costello.
They reveal, among other things, the purchase of bottles of wine costing $190 each and meals totalling up to $300 a head.
A spokesman for Senator Johnston said "all hospitality hosted by the defence minister and extended to foreign dignitaries or industry heads … has been within guidelines and is consistent with previous defence ministers' practice".
He added: The Department of Defence is investigating the leaking of this material and, as such, it is inappropriate to comment further."
Regarding the removal of the two staff members, the spokesman said: "As is long-standing practice, we do not comment on staffing matters."
Senator Johnston's office has been shaken by staffing upheavals in the 14 months since the government took office. His long-time adviser Russell Stranger left early this year.
Senator Johnston then fell out with his first chief-of-staff, senior Defence official Simeon Gilding, who was moved to Prime Minister Tony Abbott's office. Mr Gilding was replaced by Mr Costello, previously a senior executive at the ASC.
Further ructions happened after former general Jim Molan was attached to Senator Johnston's office as a strategic policy adviser but quit just a few weeks later. Fairfax Media understands he clashed with Mr Costello.
