Describing themselves as "resourceful women", the new independent MPs are "very hopeful" that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will compromise over curtailed parliamentary staffing arrangements which has enraged the expanded new crossbench.
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Amid day-one excitement, the 35 culturally and socially diverse new House of Representatives members of the class of '22 have arrived and are in the House for "pollie school". Those elected on May 21 are finding their feet and their way around Parliament House on day one of parliamentary orientation.
On Friday, Mr Albanese infuriated crossbench MPs in lower house and in the Senate when he advised them that the number of parliamentary advisers would be slashed from four to one. Some crossbenchers were asking for more than four.
MPs, including the member of Warringah Zali Steggall, the member for Kooyong Monique Ryan and ACT senator David Pocock had complained that the cut to support was bad for democracy and appeared an effort to "gag" or damage them.
Kylea Tink, the new member for North Sydney, is among a group of new MPs seeking a meeting with Mr Albanese when he returns from the current Europe trip.
"I think one of the things to note really is that at this stage, all we've received is a letter from the Prime Minister proposing that our staff number has been reduced," the new MP told reporters.
"I think we're all very hopeful of meeting with the Prime Minister when he returns and actually having a constructive conversation around what resources we will need to do the job we've been asked to do by our community."
No meeting has been currently arranged and Albanese ministers have described the government as having "made it decision".
In approaching any possible discussion with Mr Albanese, the member for Curtin Kate Chaney described the teals as "all quite resourceful women and we'll make the best of whatever resources we have".
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The member for Wentworth Allegra Spender said it was about representing the community.
"Our community wants us to speak for them and to look at legislation and manage their interests," she said. "And I think that's really the crucial piece is that my community has come to me and say, 'Well, I'm concerned you can't represent you properly if you can't look at legislation properly if you don't have the staff'. I think that's absolutely crucial."
Under the Morrison government, the staffing allocation was four. The allocation had been politically inflated from two to four over the past two terms. The MPs and senators will still have four electorate staff and Mr Albanese is promising to increase resources to the Parliamentary Library as a trade-off.
Before leaving for the NATO summit, the Prime Minister said he was acting in the interest of fairness, pointing to crossbenchers with more staff the opposition frontbenchers.
"This is a very recent phenomenon of an upping of parliamentary staff," he told the ABC.
"And what concerns me is that the Morrison government, at the same time as our cutting Centrelink staff, people can't get passports, visas can't get processed. The only area of public service that saw an increase in staffing levels appears to have been parliamentary staff."
The new members include the expanded crossbench of 12 in the lower house, including the independent member for Goldstein Zoe Daniel and new Greens members such as member for Griffith Max Chandler-Mather and member for Ryan, Libby Watson-Brown.
The Greens also want to talk to the Prime Minister and seek compromise.
"We will be having discussions and that is our attitude to the whole thing," Ms Watson-Brown said. "We need to have these discussions. We need to negotiate the right outcomes for everyone because it's really critical that we can service our communities and our electorates really well. And that's what this staffing issue is about."
There are also new members for the major parties including Labor member for Hunter Dan Repacholi, member for Reid Sally Sitou and member for Swan Zaneta Mascarenhas.
The Speaker of the 46th Parliament, Andrew Wallace, welcomed the class of '22 to the "awesome" chamber and imparted some age-old advice.
"Don't take yourself too seriously," the soon-to-be replaced Speaker said. "Whilst it is a great honour to be in this place ... remember your friends. Sometimes those friends are from across the aisle.
"It is important that when you are in this place that you build good relationships not just with those who are sitting around you.
"Always remember, no matter how long you are this place, treat people with respect on the way up because chances are you will meet the same people on the way down."