Politics · Australia · 5 hrs ago
Payman accuses Albanese of denying her a personal adviser
Independent Senator Fatima Payman says Anthony Albanese singled her out by refusing to give her a personal adviser.
The dispute is about staffing for Australian parliamentarians, including senators who sit outside the major parties.
Albanese says Payman has the same number of staff as when she was elected as a Labor senator, plus one additional staff member provided to all parliamentarians.
Payman says that answer confuses electorate staff with personal advisers and that she is the only crossbench parliamentarian without an adviser.
Staffing figures dated 1 June 2026 show Payman had no personal advisers, while the other listed non-major-party parliamentarians had at least one.
She alleges the decision was political and followed her leaving Labor in 2024, and says staffing decisions should return to an independent umpire.
Payman has also alleged Albanese offered her an extra staff member in exchange for supporting a Senate motion in November 2024; a constitutional law professor said such an offer was difficult to imagine, and no further outcome is given.
Independent Senator Fatima Payman accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of denying her a personal adviser after she left the Labor Party in 2024.
Documents dated 1 June 2026 show Payman had no personal advisers, while other listed non-major-party parliamentarians had at least one.
Albanese said Payman had the same number of staff as when she was elected as a Labor senator, plus one additional staff member granted to all parliamentarians.
Payman said his response conflated electorate staff with personal advisers and alleged that he was treating her differently.
She called for staffing allocation decisions to be returned to an independent umpire.
- Who
- Independent Senator Fatima Payman and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
- What
- Payman accused Albanese of refusing to allocate her a personal adviser. Albanese rejected claims she had been treated unfairly.
- When
- The dispute was reported on 10 November 2026; staffing figures cited are dated 1 June 2026.
- Where
- Australia’s Parliament.
- Why
- Payman said Albanese was making an example of her because she left Labor. Albanese said she had the same number of staff as before, plus one additional staff member granted to all parliamentarians.
Fatima Payman
Anthony Albanese
Staff allocation
Fatima Payman
Payman said she had no personal advisers and was the only crossbencher in this position.
Anthony Albanese
Albanese said she had the same number of staff as when elected as a Labor senator, plus one additional staff member.
Reason for allocation
Fatima Payman
Payman alleged Albanese had singled her out after she left Labor and was making an example of her.
Anthony Albanese
Albanese rejected suggestions that she had been treated unfairly.
Payman alleged Albanese offered her an additional staff member in exchange for supporting a motion to curtail Senate debate.
Daily Mail Australia questioned Albanese about Payman’s requests for a personal adviser and his role in crossbench staffing allocations.
Staffing allocation documents showed Payman had no personal advisers.
Daily Mail published Payman’s accusation that Albanese was making an example of her.
- Payman’s personal advisers
- 0 as of 1 June 2026
- Jacqui Lambie’s advisers
- 3
- Albanese’s reported staffing explanation
- Payman had one more staff member than when elected as a Labor senator
- Payman left Labor
- 2024
What people are saying
While the allocation for electorate staff is even across the Parliament, the Prime Minister has singled me out by refusing to grant me any advisers. I am the only crossbencher in the Parliament for whom this is the case.
I left the Labor Party, and the Prime Minister is making an example of me to warn conscientious Labor MPs that, if they step out of line, he will make their life as difficult as possible, even in the case of a young mother.
Fatima Payman has the same numbers of staff now as she had when she was elected as a Labor senator, indeed one more, because we granted an additional staffer to all senators and all members of the House of Representatives.
It would be incredibly dangerous and unwise to do so,