The Turnbull government has appointed a Tasmanian Liberal MP who lost his seat in the Coalition wipeout in the state at the 2016 election as an additional adviser for the Senate president, Stephen Parry.
Eric Hutchinson lost his seat of Lyons in the 2016 election but has now joined Parry’s staff in a “representational” role.
Parry, appearing before a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Monday, confirmed Hutchinson had joined his office but denied the new appointment was political.
He characterised Hutchinson’s appointment as putting a round plug in a round hole.
“I think an ex-member of parliament is an ideal person to represent the president of the Senate at functions both here and certainly in Tasmania when I’m not available,” Parry said Monday.
“I couldn’t have asked for anyone better.”
Labor characterised the appointment differently.
Labor’s Senate leader, Penny Wong, told the hearing appointing a past Liberal MP to do representational work in his electorate “sound[ed] pretty political.”
“You appointed a mate who lost his seat to do work in your electorate,” Wong said to Parry.
The Senate president insisted the appointment was recognition of his additional workload as Senate president. “I have many friends, both Labor and Liberal,” Parry told the hearing.
Parry said he may have asked the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, for another staffing position before the recent election but Hutchinson had joined his staff a couple of weeks ago.
The government has not boosted the staffing allocation of the House of Representatives Speaker, Tony Smith, and the position was not advertised.
The Coalition lost three lower house seats in Tasmania at the recent federal election, and also went backwards in Senate representation.
