Crossbench puts pressure on Senate staff

The department which runs the Senate says it needs extra money to deal with the extra demand put on it by a bigger cross bench.

The federal election delivered a record 20 senators from minor parties including the Greens, with each of the new crossbench senators receiving seven staffers.

Senate Clerk Rosemary Laing told an estimates hearing on Monday she would be seeking extra funding in the coming budget, as there was a growing demand for advice from her department but no supplementary funding beyond the current financial year.