Does Peta Credlin’s job have a use-by date? Since her boss Tony Abbott was deposed in September, Credlin has stayed on with Abbott, although she commands a much smaller team than before. According to Senate documents, since Abbott is now the former prime minister he has a “package of entitlements” while he remains in Parliament. This includes the ability to employ two additional staff members on top of the normal entitlement of an electorate officer and four staff. The extra staff are “a Senior Advisor for no longer than 12 months and an Assistant Adviser to support him in his role as a former Prime Minister”. Abbott isn’t the only one from the old guard to be allocated extra staff; former leader of the government in the Senate Eric Abetz has been allocated an extra assistant adviser.

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