The PM’s secret political tool that has no rules
Did you know that the Prime Minister gets to decide how many staff members everyone gets?
He gets to decide his own staffing numbers, the staff for his ministers, the staff for the opposition and the staff for crossbenchers.
Seems legit, right?
It’s like entering into a battle, where your opponent gets to pick their own weapon and then your own. They could swear that they’re being completely impartial and everything’s above board. But there’s always going to be a bit of unconscious bias there, making sure that if you get to set the rules of engagement, you’re going to come out on top.
Members of the public scoff when they hear politicians complaining about needing more staff. And I understand why. But until you’ve been in this job, or spent time in someone’s office, it’s really hard to comprehend the vast enormity of the workload we take on. Especially as an independent.
We don’t have Ministers to deep dive into each portfolio. We have to look at every single bill as it comes up. People expect Tammy to be across every issue and have an opinion on everything – from salmon farming, to tax reform, to defence programs and education funding. That means as staff, we somehow have to be across all of these topics as well. Along with actually helping constituents who contact the office, doing community outreach and everything else that the job comes with.
There’s a reason staff turnover is often high in political offices. It’s not a job that’s sustainable for many, especially without party resources to back you up.
It’s a bit of a gut punch as a staffer to see the current Prime Minister cut Senate advisors from 4 to 2 when he was elected, citing the need to save money. Yet the Prime Minister has given himself more than 50 additional advisors over the course of his term.
The power to determine staffing is something that can be used as a political weapon. And this week Senator Fatima Payman called the Prime Minister out on it. Since leaving Labor and becoming an independent, she’s entitled to two extra staff members (the same as other Senate crossbenchers have). She’s been waiting over 200 days and still doesn’t have her allocation. The ABC reported it took 43 for Lidia Thorpe to get her extra staff after going independent.
It’s clear that Senator Payman isn’t getting her staffing allocation simply because the Prime Minister doesn’t want her to have it. It’s easy to guess that won’t be happening before an election. And if Labor gets back in? Well, it’s anyone’s guess. They don’t have to give her the same staff as everyone else. There’s no rules about it.
Tammy’s called for these rules to change. We don’t trust the Prime Minister to decide everyone’s pay – we’d all think that was a bit biased. So why should they get to decide on someone’s resources, the very thing that helps them to be successful at their job?
Decisions on politicians pay sit with the Remuneration Tribunal. Tammy’s called for them to also determined staffing numbers.
As a staffer, a change to an independent body can’t come soon enough. It should’ve happened years ago. With an election looming, we have no idea if the incoming Prime Minister will cut staff numbers again. It means Tammy could be forced to sack a staffer (or multiple staffers) simply because the Prime Minister said so. There’s uncertainty in political jobs, sure, but losing your job on the whim of a Prime Minister is something else entirely.
The situation with Senator Payman is a perfect example of this staffing power being abused for political purposes. Major parties can argue all they like that they don’t abuse it, but this is politics; if they can ensure they have an advantage above all others, they’re going to take it.
The Blog, Delivered
Subscribe to get the latest from Tam's team direct to your inbox.