The Nationals will strongly oppose any move by the Albanese Government to increase the size of the Australian Parliament, warning that taxpayers would wear the significant cost at a time Australians are already under severe financial pressure.

Analysis from the Parliamentary Budget Office shows that expanding the Parliament could cost taxpayers more than $620 million, including salaries for possible additional Members and Senators, staff, travel and office costs.

Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster said the Government had its priorities completely wrong.

“At a time when Australian families are tightening their belts, the last thing they should be asked to fund is more politicians,” Dr Webster said.

“The Albanese Labor Government cannot manage the economy, cannot control spending, and now wants to make Australians pay for a bigger Parliament.

Labor’s Special Minister of State, responsible for managing policy changes on parliament’s composition, told the National Press Club on Monday that “increasing the size of parliament is what great Labor leaders do.”

Dr Webster noted that Labor has already shown their appetite to fund more public servants, growing the public service by 20 per cent, or 41,000 positions, since 2022.

“Labor wants more bureaucracy and more pressure on the Budget at exactly the wrong time, Dr Webster said.

“The Nationals will protect Australians’ way of life and restore their standard of living, and that starts with federal parliament living within our means.

“People in regional Australia are doing it tough. They are paying more for fuel, groceries and power. They do not want more politicians in Canberra. They want practical help with the cost of living.

“Now is the time to tighten the belt, not expand the bureaucracy. This Government is focused on itself. The Nationals are focused on regional Australians.”

“The Nationals in Coalition Opposition are calling on the Prime Minister to immediately rule out any expansion of the Parliament and instead focus on Australia’s declining living standards and cost-of-living crisis.

“The PM gave tricky answers in Question Time to say he was ‘happy’ with the makeup of the parliament. Given the PM’s flip-flopping on fuel security during these last 4 recent sitting weeks, Australians want to know that this Prime Minister is ruling out any expansion of parliament.

Dr Webster said she is proud to represent all 121,662 enrolled voters and their families, spread over 83,412 square kilometres in Mallee.  

The Inter-Parliamentary Union estimates every Australian federal Member of the House of Representatives represents, on average, 116,524 people, above the international average of 112,500.

“I put my hand up in 2019 to represent Mallee voters and I am proud to do so,” Dr Webster said.

“Supporting over 121,000 voters is a big job, but I have the staff and tools to serve over 80 rural cities, towns and communities,” Dr Webster said.

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