Govt launches review into number of political staffers

The Canberra Times understands a small team at the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service has begun the Independent Review of Resourcing in Parliamentarian Offices. It is reaching out to largely stretched political offices for interviews, focus groups and surveys, while being asked to report to Anthony Albanese and Special Minister of State Don Farrell by October.

It comes after adviser staff numbers were controversially cut this electoral term, under the Prime Minister's discretion, for independent and crossbench politicians. An extra frontline electorate staff position was funded in the 2023 budget for all federal parliamentarians.

The resources review is in response to the 2022 review of the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act and will look into factors affecting workloads in parliamentarian offices, particularly electorate offices. The factors include staffing levels as well as support systems and processes.

"The Albanese government has requested the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service to undertake a review of the resourcing of parliamentary offices, which is currently underway," Senator Farrell said in a statement to this masthead.

The review is expected to look at, among other issues, increased electorate populations, changes in community expectations, advances in communications with offices, support provided to parliamentarians and their offices, training needs and current staffing resources, including volunteers and interns.

"As part of the review, we will be seeking agreement to conduct consultations with a range of parliamentary offices, along with related services provided to parliamentarians and their offices," a support service email seen by The Canberra Times states.

Questions have been raised about staffing after the latest figures for taxpayer-funded personal employee, or adviser, positions, employed under the MoP(S) Act, were tabled in Parliament by Finance Secretary Jenny Wilkinson.

The figures, dated February 1, show a mid-term increase in a range of senior advisers, a reduction in junior assistants, an overall increase in 17 government staff, and an increase in the Prime Minister's Office by 7.4 positions, including an extra principal adviser, the highest personal staffing position possible.

Non-government MPs and political staff, who asked to remain anonymous, have told The Canberra Times that the increase was "galling" and "hypocritical". The increase in senior adviser staffing levels has particularly raised the ire of some crossbenchers who point to being told by government figures that "we are all taking cuts".

Government and opposition backbencher MPs have smaller offices than crossbenchers and independents, who also get additional staff for committees, royal commissions and reports. The crossbenchers and independent MPs and senators also have access to the Parliamentary Library.

"All staff are employed by parliamentarians under the MoPS Act and in line with existing guidelines," Senator Farrell said.

"Allocations and the seniority of allocated classifications are based on on the evolving needs and workload of the government, opposition, and crossbench."

Anthony Albanese now has, among his 58 staff members, four principal advisers at the top of the band, which is one more than his predecessor Scott Morrison. The principal adviser position includes Mr Albanese's chief of staff Tim Gartrell. He also has double the number of senior advisers (level 1) at 14 compared to the final months of the Morrison term. Mr Morrison had 50.6 advisor staff in March 2022.

Since October, the figures show the government has parted with 18 administrative assistants, nine executive assistants, and 13 assistant advisers. At the same time, there have been eight more senior advisers (level 3), 25 extra senior advisers (level 2), 17 more senior advisers (level 1), two more advisers, and five as yet unallocated positions. That is an overall increase of 17 positions from the 472 recorded more than four months ago.

While there was an increase from October 2023 for the government, the advisor staffing levels for the Opposition, the Greens, One Nation and the rest of the parliamentarians have remained the same. The staffing levels for the Coalition have remained at 103 while the Greens have maintained 19 despite a larger party room since the last election.

Independent and crossbench MPs were livid after the Prime Minister used his discretion after the May 2022 election to cut the personal staffing numbers of independent and crossbench MPs and senators from what Mr Albanese regarded as politically inflated numbers under Scott Morrison. They went from four to one.

There was a later compromise with one extra position returned to crossbench senators and regional lower house independents.

The 2023 budget separately funded an extra electorate staffer for all federal parliamentarians at a cost of $159 million over four years as an acknowledgment of extra frontline pressure on political offices.

"This is the right thing," the Prime Minister said at the time. "There used to be 80-odd thousand people in an electorate when I was first elected. Mike Freelander has almost 150,000 people."

The increase to five federal electorate staff was the first since 2007.