Fatima Payman apologises to Helen Haines over staff allocation remarks
Independent senator Fatima Payman apologised to Helen Haines and her staff after comments in Parliament appeared to suggest the Prime Minister might only approve more staff for Payman’s office after an attack like the one allegedly suffered by Haines. Payman said her wording was clumsy, while maintaining that her office’s workload and staff pressures were unsustainable.
Payman made the remarks during Senate Estimates on Monday, questioning whether her departure from Labor affected her request for additional staff. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has discretion over staffing allocations. Haines, 65, remains in a serious but stable condition after allegedly being struck by a vehicle outside her Wangaratta electorate office; police charged a 43-year-old man over the incident. Special Minister of State Don Farrell condemned Payman’s remarks before her apology was made public and rejected the suggestion the government was ignoring her concerns.
In short
- Payman apologised to Haines and her staff for her wording.
- She says her office needs more staff to manage its workload.
- Farrell rejected her implication about the Prime Minister’s response.
Explained simply
Fatima Payman is an independent senator in Australia’s federal Parliament. Senators’ offices receive staff to help with parliamentary work and contact with the public, and the Prime Minister has a role in approving some staffing requests. Payman has argued that her office needs more staff to manage its workload.
Helen Haines is an independent MP who represents the rural electorate of Indi in Victoria. Her office is based in Wangaratta, where she was reportedly injured in an incident involving a vehicle. The two politicians’ offices serve different parts of the same region, and the remarks drew attention because they linked a staffing request to a serious attack.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Fatima Payman apologises to Helen Haines over controversial staffing comments”.