One Nation Vows Opposition Blockade Over Staffing Dispute in South Australia
South Australia’s One Nation party has declared its intention to obstruct all legislation introduced by the Labor government, citing a significant disagreement over parliamentary staffing allocations. The party’s leader in the South Australian Legislative Council, Cory Bernardi, stated that One Nation was officially denied the same staffing resources as other minor parties, a decision he deemed unjust and a clear indication of “petty politics” by the government.
The core of the dispute centres on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff members allocated to each party. One Nation claims to have been assigned 2.6 FTE staff. However, they point to the Greens, who currently have two Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) compared to One Nation’s three MLCs across both houses, as having received 3.6 FTE staff. This disparity, according to Bernardi, leaves One Nation at a disadvantage.
“One Nation’s been denied the same political resources that have been made available to the Greens. It’s been denied the similar resources which is being made to the Liberal Party, you got to ask why,” Mr. Bernardi articulated. He further emphasised the party’s stance: “There’s no justification for it and the message is very clear: we will not support one scrap of legislation by this government until the playing field is level.”
Government’s Counterpoint: Staffing Allocations Explained
The Attorney-General, Kyam Maher, has refuted One Nation’s claims, asserting that the party has actually been allocated more staff than the Greens. Maher detailed the government’s staffing allocation framework, explaining that each Member of the House of Assembly receives 2.6 FTE staff, while members of the Legislative Council are allocated 1.6 FTE staff.
Beyond these base allocations, Maher explained that additional staff are provided on a “case-by-case basis” to assist parliamentarians with the “legislative load they face from the government and the opposition.” He stated that One Nation SA has been granted seven additional staff members to support their seven state MPs. In contrast, the Greens have been assigned four additional staff, a number that Maher noted is consistent with their allocation during the previous parliamentary term.
“It’s not a number necessarily per person in parliament, it is a recognition of the extra legislative load that’s faced,” Mr. Maher explained. He warned of the potential consequences of One Nation’s stance: “If they [One Nation] don’t want to have the emergency measures possible for the state of South Australia during a fuel crisis and they want to vote against it because they’re not getting the perks that they want, I think South Australians would judge that accordingly.”
The Impact on Upper House Legislation
Labor currently commands a majority in the House of Assembly with 34 seats. However, their position in the Legislative Council, the state’s upper house, is more precarious. With the Liberal Party often opposing government bills, Labor will now require the support of at least two crossbench votes to pass legislation.
The crossbench in the Legislative Council is composed of:
- Three One Nation MLCs
- Two Greens MLCs
- Sarah Game, a Fair Go MLC, formerly of One Nation
This shift in the balance of power means that One Nation’s opposition can significantly impede the government’s legislative agenda. When questioned about the potential difficulties in passing legislation through the upper house, Mr. Bernardi was unyielding. “That’s their [Labor’s] problem, it’s not my problem,” he declared.
One Nation’s Stance: Ensuring Due Diligence
Carlos Quaremba, another One Nation MLC, echoed Bernardi’s concerns, highlighting the practical implications of insufficient staffing. He stated that a lack of adequate staff would make it “extremely difficult to cast our eyes over all the legislation and give it the due diligence which required.”
Quaremba added, “We don’t want to stop progress but [at] the same time we need the resources to do the job we’ve been elected to do correctly and efficiently.” The party’s position suggests a commitment to thorough scrutiny of all government proposals, arguing that adequate staffing is a prerequisite for fulfilling this parliamentary duty effectively. The standoff sets the stage for potentially protracted negotiations and significant challenges for the Labor government in passing its legislative agenda through the South Australian Parliament.
