Sunday 26 June 2022 04:54 AM Anthony Albanese's lieutenants defend decision that enraged independents and ... trends now Two of Anthony Albanese's most senior ministers have defended Labor slashing staff for independent and minor party MPs as 'common sense'. The prime minister sent a letter on Friday telling the 16 affected MPs and 18 crossbench senators their adviser numbers were being cut from four each to one. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he was surprised by how many staff crossbenchers had, while Education Minister Jason Clare said the decision was 'pretty fair'. 'I don't think it's reasonable or fair for one backbench MP in one electorate to get twice as many staff as a backbench MP in the electorate next door,' Mr Chalmers told ABC's Insiders on Sunday. But the move has been slammed by crossbenchers, including Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, Sydney MP Sophie Scamps, and new ACT senator David Pocock, who said it could derail the government's legislative agenda. Jacqui Lambie (pictured) said she was 'fuming' with Anthony Albanese over staffing cuts for crossbenchers such as her Labor has 26 senators and needs 39 votes to pass bills through the 76-member senate. That means it will need the backing of 13 crossbenchers to pass any legislation not supported by the Coalition. Ms Lambie said she was 'fuming' with Mr Albanese and that his decision could make her more likely to vote against government bills. 'If we can’t go through the legislation (with advisers) how can we vote on it? I’m not voting for something that I can’t go through,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald. Ms Scamps, who represents Mackellar on Sydney's northern beaches, said the staff cuts 'will present an enormous challenge for the crossbench to effectively undertake the work we are required to do in federal parliament'. She, along with the other crossbenchers, will still have four electorate staff each, in addition to one adviser. Mr Pocock, a former rugby international, slammed the move as a 'hypocritical... political decision' that 'short-changes' his ACT electorate. 'Being accessible, consulting widely, challenging the parliament to do better and making politics about people, that's what I want to do and I need a great team to do that,' he wrote on Twitter. New ACT senator David Pocock (left) is pictured with his wife Emma. Mr Pocock said a lack of staff will diminish his ability to keep tabs on the government David Pocock expressed his dissatisfaction with the Albanese Government in a series of tweets (pictured) on Saturday '[Mr Albanese's] decision is hypocritical and a double-standard that actively disadvantages community-backed independents while preserving the status quo for the major parties.' Mr Pocock, the ACT's first independent senator, said the lack of staff would diminish his ability to keep tabs on the government. 'Consulting with my fellow crossbenchers in the Senate, we have shared concerns about voting on legislation we don't have the resources to adequately scrutinise or ensure the integrity of,' he said. But Mr Clare said the previous staffing allocations were too high. 'If you're a Labor MP or a Liberal MP or a National, you get four staff, and if you're a Green or if you're a crossbench MP you get eight, that seems to me a bit out of whack,' he told Sky News. New Mackellar MPSophie Scamps (pictured) said staff cuts 'will present an enormous challenge for the crossbench' 'What Albo is saying here is that if you're a crossbench MP you'll get an extra member of staff above and beyond what a Labor or Liberal or… a Nat MP will get and we'll put extra resources into the Parliamentary Library. 'That seems to me to be pretty fair.' Three of the 12 lower house MPs - Rebekha Sharkie, Helen Haines and Bob Katter - will get two advisers due to the vast size of their electorates in South Australia, Victoria and Queensland, respectively. Cutting the crossbench MPs' allocation from 48 to 15 will slash the annual wages bill from from an estimated $6,785,856 to $2,120,580 per year. Treasurer Jim Chalmers (pictured left) has defended Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) slashing the number of advisers allowed to crossbench MPs and senators But the previous allocation of four advisers each for crossbenchers was a relatively recent addition. In 2010, then prime minister Julia Gillard allocated one adviser each to independent MPs. That was increased to three by Malcolm Turnbull and four by Scott Morrison. Labor is also cutting $1.5 million of 'extra salary payments' for government staff. Mr Clare said the cut to crossbench adviser allocations would not put people off trying to become an MP or senator. 'People come to this job, not for the pay, but for the opportunity that it provides to really make a difference,' he said. 'So everybody's taken a haircut here.' All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility