Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie and Infrastructure boss Jim Betts have shared a rare moment of Senate estimates levity, bonding over the public servant sporting a Taylor Swift T-shirt at an industry event.
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Coalition senators have established a tradition of prodding Mr Betts over his fashion decisions at Senate estimates, including his preference not to wear a tie.
In May 2023, Liberal senator Sarah Henderson pointedly asked whether a dress code was in place in Mr Betts' department.
He has also faced scrutiny for wearing an Aboriginal flag T-shirt during a staff meeting.
The latest exchange is a marked shift in tone from the stony discussions the pair have shared in previous estimates, over allegations of staff misconduct.
![Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie and Infrastructure secretary Jim Betts. Picture by Gary Ramage Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie and Infrastructure secretary Jim Betts. Picture by Gary Ramage](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/pMXRnDj3SUU44AkPpn97sC/363ae749-a48f-4245-b30c-f852c67ab535.png/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Now, secretary, it has become quite a thing that your T-shirts seem to draw us every estimates to the topic," Senator McKenzie told the secretary in Tuesday's hearing.
"And I hope you didn't think, because I hadn't mentioned this in the first hour that I haven't been watching your T-shirt efforts over time.
"Have you changed your mind since last estimates, are you now a fan of Taylor Swift?"
In response, the Infrastructure secretary said he was "very glad" to be asked the question.
"I feel like I'm living rent free in your head," Senator McKenzie jumped in, referencing Mr Betts' attire at a conference last week.
"So I was wearing a Taylor Swift T-shirt last week at the freight and logistics conference, thank you for asking," he said.
But Senator McKenzie pressed on: "And why did you choose Tay Tay?"
The secretary said it had been a gift from one of his staff, but that he had given some thought to the upcoming Senate estimates.
![Infrastructure secretary Jim Betts has discussed his fashion further at Senate estimates. Picture by Gary Ramage Infrastructure secretary Jim Betts has discussed his fashion further at Senate estimates. Picture by Gary Ramage](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/143258707/437fabb3-06f5-4afa-9f2a-22f12390d96c.jpg/r0_204_4000_2462_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"And I also thought that you might enjoy it, because I knew you were speaking later on the agenda, and it might come up at Senate estimates," Mr Betts said.
The Senator did enjoy it, she said.
"Well, it's the least I could do if you're living rent free in my head," Mr Betts joked.
The Senator quickly moved on to another line of questioning, but not before bonding with Mr Betts over a shared love of Morrissey.
Mr Betts and Senator McKenzie have previously engaged in several terse discussions about the alleged "hotties list".
This involved claims that "certain male members" within the department's 2023 graduate cohort made a "degrading list" that assessed their female colleagues "by their so-called hotness".
The agency had not been able to substantiate the list through a formal investigation, but has since taken further steps to respond, including by updating training for 2024 graduates.