Beefed-up Parliamentary Library won't compensate for staffer cuts, crossbenchers say

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ignited a fight with the independents after cutting their allocation of personal advisors from four to one.

Those positions are in addition to the four electorate staff which each MP is entitled to.

Some crossbenchers, including ACT Senator David Pocock, are warning they mightn't be able to support government bills if they don't have the resources to properly scrutinise them.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher was on Monday arguing it was "unsustainable" for independents to have eight staff members - double the number for backbenchers.

Mr Albanese noted the increase in staff numbers for crossbenchers was a "very recent phenomenon", with allocations doubling since 2017.

The government believes crossbenchers can afford to lean on their team of electorate staff to help with handling media inquiries, meeting stakeholders and examining legislation.

But independents say they need specialist advisors because they don't have the support and infrastructure of a political party.

Senator Gallagher has insisted the pain was being shared across the parliament, with the government to cut its staffing budget by $1.5 million and the Greens forced to retain their allocation from the previous term despite securing six extra seats at the election.

The government has promised to boost resourcing to the in-house Parliamentary Library to account for the increased number of crossbenchers.

A government spokeswoman said it would consult with the Department of Parliamentary Services on proposals to bolster the library's resources, but would not provide further details.

The Parliamentary Library, which has about 150 staff, provides confidential research and analysis to parliamentarians, staff and committees upon request.

While praising the service, crossbenchers are warning that a beefed-up Parliamentary Library wouldn't make up for the loss of personal advisors.

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie described staff as the "oil that keeps the engine of parliament running", warning that without them "it's just not going to run".

"The library staff do a good job, but they don't work for me. Not for Tasmania," she said.

"When you go to them for advice, you're getting the advice of someone who's never spent a day of their life in the north-west of Tasmania. The people who voted for me don't send their kids to Canberra schools."

Among the main concerns for crossbenchers and staff is that library isn't open and able to respond to requests around-the-clock, which could be required during high-stakes debates on complex bills.

Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie said it would be a "furphy" to suggest the library could replace the work of political staffers, given the service can't provide advice, write speeches or react to partisan politicking.

Senator Pocock echoed Ms Sharkie's comments, as he warned that Canberra would suffer as a result of the cuts.

"It's the people of the ACT who are being dudded here, not me," he said.

"This is just another example of the ACT missing out even more than most, we already have fewer senators and therefore fewer electorate officers working to support the community."

The former rugby star is in a strong position to negotiate with the new government because it would likely need his vote to pass contentious legislation.

But despite his position, The Canberra Times understands Senator Pocock has so far been unable to secure a meeting with the government to push his case for Mr Albanese to reverse the decision.

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Senator Gallagher said on Monday morning that Mr Albanese wasn't trying to "put anyone offside" and that dealings with the crossbench would be done in a "constructive and respectful way".

The union which represents Parliamentary Library workers welcomed plans to bolster the service, after what it said was a period of "continued underinvestment" under the Coalition government.

Community and Public Sector Union deputy national secretary Beth Vincent Pietsch said, in the past decade, staffing levels had failed to keep pace with an increasing workload.

"It is absolutely essential, regardless of whatever decision is made in crossbench staffing, that the Parliamentary Library must be a key area of investment in DPS, and even more so if an extra burden is to be placed on it," she said.

"The weight of work and deadlines placed on staff by elected members is at times unrealistic, and there is a clear need for better management structures into the future."