Redacted minutes from Housing Australia, the federal agency overseeing Labor's $10 billion affordable housing program, have revealed high staff stress and even concerns over the quality of office chairs during marathon board meetings.
The documents, obtained by local media, show that former chairwoman Carol Austin called for "lumbar supporting (grey) chairs" to ease physical strain on board members as they tackled long sessions, including updates on high staff turnover.
The minutes shed light on internal turmoil as the agency raced to deliver Labor's flagship housing policy, aimed at producing 40,000 social and affordable homes.
By late last year, only 10% of funding had been finalised, almost two years after the first tender round.
High pressure to meet deadlines contributed to a quarter of staff leaving and six of the top eight executives departing since Austin's appointment.