Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered One Nation MP David Farley an additional staff member in what the party characterised as an "unsolicited" move designed to secure political advantage using public funds. According to The Guardian, Pauline Hanson claimed the initiative, which would have cost taxpayers approximately $200,000 in salary, represented an attempt to "exert undue political influence" over elected representatives.
A letter authorising the Farrer MP to recruit another staff member was hand-delivered to Farley's parliament house office in Canberra on Monday by a member of the prime minister's team. Hanson stated that Farley had not requested this additional allocation and that no justification was provided by Albanese for the staffing provision. The pair had also held private meetings over preceding weeks, all initiated by the prime minister.
What was the offer worth?
The proposed position carried a base salary of up to $160,043, plus a personal staff allowance of up to $35,387, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. This offer would have brought Farley's staffing arrangements into line with those of other crossbench MPs, as he was the only House crossbencher without an additional personal staffer. The allocation mirrored the extra staff given to Barnaby Joyce after he departed the Nationals.
Why is One Nation concerned?
Hanson expressed worry that Albanese was "seeking to use taxpayer funds to exert undue political influence over politicians". She stated:
"David did not request this allocation of staff. No reason was provided by the prime minister for the provision of this staff."The One Nation leader called for public disclosure of the arrangement, saying:
"We have decided to expose these grubby dealings because the public deserves to know what the Albanese Labor government is doing behind closed doors."
Hanson has long campaigned for equitable staffing distribution among non-government parliamentarians.
"For months, One Nation has been fighting for fair, transparent and objective allocation of staffing for parliamentarians. The prime minister has refused to respond to these calls."In August, Hanson had requested that Albanese increase One Nation's adviser allocation from four to nine, noting that while the party held six MPs, the Greens had 11 MPs and 17 advisers.
The One Nation leader further contended that the prime minister should not hold personal control over resources available to political opponents.
"The prime minister should not personally control the resources available to his political opponents. While this power has always been open to abuse, it has, in our view, been weaponised to an unprecedented extent under this Labor government and this prime minister."
How did Farley respond?
Farley rejected the "unsolicited" offer for an additional staffer but stopped short of definitively ruling out joining Labor. When asked about his political future on Thursday, he told News24:
"The attributes that I was looking for in a political party to represent Farrer is that I need political courage, I need political tenacity, and I made my decision to join One Nation. I know that I've still got that courage and tenacity in behind me. I have got a very, very clear and defined mandate."
What has the government said?
When questioned on Thursday morning about staffing allocations, Albanese addressed the situation involving former Labor senator Fatima Payman, who now sits as an independent. He noted that Payman held one additional staff member compared to her position before departing Labor for the crossbench. However, the prime minister did not respond to questions regarding whether it was appropriate for him to personally oversee taxpayer-funded staffing allocations for MPs across parliament.
Special Minister of State Don Farrell defended the arrangement on Wednesday, stating that the prime minister was best placed to make staffing decisions, citing historical precedent. The prime minister's office was contacted for further comment but did not provide additional response.
What is the broader context?
Hanson stood alongside independents Dai Le and Senator Payman last month to demand consistent staffing resources for non-government parliamentarians. The issue reflects ongoing tension over how resources are distributed among opposition and crossbench MPs. A 2025 Senate bill proposing minimum staffing levels for non-government parliamentarians passed its second reading but was defeated at the third-reading stage in September 2025, according to SBS News.
