Indi MP Helen Haines' second term in federal parliament has been made more challenging due to a significant reduction in staff.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a letter to Dr Haines on Friday to inform her she would be allocated two personal staff members, halved from four under her previous term.
Five electorate staff were also part of her office under the previous government and these roles will remain in this parliament.
Dr Haines said the decision was "incredibly disappointing" and damaged her ability to represent Indi.
"All but one are based here in Indi. They are members of our community who care deeply about improving life in our region," she said.
"I urge the Prime Minister to reconsider and will be seeking meetings with the Prime Minister and members of the government to have this overturned.
"As an independent member of parliament, I make a fully informed decision on how I vote on every single piece of legislation.
"Personal staff help me review hundreds of pages of legislation to understand if a new law will make things better for my constituents.
"The people of Indi have voted for someone who votes for them every time and personal staff are critical to me doing my job as Indi's independent representative."
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Dr Haines said many personal staff for independents recognised an increased workload for their offices and the increased parliamentary responsibilities with work to assist constituents in interactions with federal government agencies such as Centrelink and the NDIS.
"Staff members in my office who are affected by this decision worked tirelessly to help me introduce six pieces of detailed legislation in the previous term of parliament, including the bills for the Australian Federal Integrity Commission and the Australian Local Power Agency," she said.
"They write speeches, consult with people in Indi about the effect and impact of proposed government legislation and help me advocate for our electorate in parliament.
"This decision by Mr Albanese will reduce the ability of crossbench MPs to fully interrogate legislation, propose amendments and vote on each piece of legislation on its merits.
"At the election, more Australians voted for independent or minor party representatives because they want increased scrutiny on the government and an end to the two-party system. The Prime Minister must listen to the message the voters are sending."
Dr Haines said the decision sent a clear message that Mr Albanese did not respect the role of the crossbench or understand what it means to be an independent.
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