Albanese Government Cuts Opposition Staffing by 20 Amid Criticism

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has come under heavy criticism from the Federal Opposition and crossbenchers for significantly reducing their staffing allocations following Labor's decisive election victory. The opposition, led by Sussan Ley, will lose about 20 personal staff positions, including senior advisers, dropping their staffing to roughly 17 percent of government levels, below the long-standing convention of 20 to 21 percent. Shadow Special Minister of State James McGrath condemned the cuts as a "vindictive and nasty" attack on accountability that hampers the opposition's ability to effectively hold the government to account during a critical period. Pauline Hanson also accused Albanese of politically motivated moves denying One Nation a fair share of advisers despite doubling its Senate seats. Although Albanese reduced opposition and some government staffing numbers, his decisions break with decades of parliamentary convention and have sparked accusations of undermining democratic oversight. The government maintains discretion over staff allocations, but the opposition argues these reductions weaken parliamentary scrutiny and transparency.