Inside Labor’s $600million push for even MORE politicians in Australia: ‘Not what we need’
A proposal to increase the size of federal parliament by at least 40 MPs is being discussed in Canberra, triggering a sharp backlash from Liberal leader Angus Taylor.
Labor’s Special Minister of State Don Farrell has been holding discussions ‘across parliament’ about potential changes, which could add up to 14 seats in the Senate and 28 in the House of Representatives.
‘Growing the size of the Parliament is what great Labor leaders do,’ Senator Farrell said when questioned about the proposal during a National Press Club speech on Monday.
But when pressed for details, he said he would wait for the results of a parliamentary inquiry that will weigh up the case for more MPs.
Farrell said the issue needed to be considered because Australia’s population has grown significantly since parliament was last expanded in 1984.
‘Our population back then was 16 million,’ Farrell said.
He said that the size of parliament is typically reviewed every 40 years, pointing to former Labor prime ministers Bob Hawke and Ben Chifley, who both increased the number of politicians during periods of population growth.
On Tuesday, Taylor slammed the proposal alongside Nationals leader Matt Canavan.
Angus Taylor (pictured) said the Coalition would not support a move to expand Parliament
Don Farrell (pictured) said expanding the size of Parliament is what ‘great Labor leaders do’
‘This proposal, which would cost over $600million for taxpayers, for hardworking Australians, is not what we need right now,’ Taylor said.
‘Australians are in a cost-of-living crisis. They are in a fuel crisis. We have an economy that is not working for hard working Australians, and the priority of this government appears to be increasing the size of Parliament.
‘We don’t need more politicians. We need a government focused on the Australian people.’
The Coalition said it had asked the Parliamentary Budget Office to cost a scenario involving 24 extra members of the House of Representatives and 14 new senators, putting the price tag at more than $600 million.
Taylor warned the final figure could be even higher.
A Labor spokeswoman said the Coalition was jumping the gun, stressing the government is waiting for the parliamentary inquiry to hand down its findings before making any decisions.
‘This is clearly not about the policy or issues, it’s about the internal audition for attention in the Coalition,’ a spokesperson said.
Daily Mail understands several Liberal MPs are quietly in favour of boosting MP numbers.
