Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese has taken a swipe at One Nation for appointing ousted senator Malcolm Roberts as an advisor to Pauline Hanson.
Mr Roberts has been gifted the plum consolation prize after being booted from federal parliament over his dual citizenship and bombing out of the Queensland election.
He has secured part-time work as an adviser to former colleague Senator Hanson, along with Queensland One Nation leader Steve Dickson who lost his seat of Buderim in the state election after defecting from the LNP.
Mr Albanese claimed the appointments had nothing to do with merit.
"Malcolm Roberts was a dismal failure as a senator (and) came up with a whole lot of very strange ideas and theories around climate change and other issues," he said in Brisbane on Friday.
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"I think Pauline Hanson would be well served in thinking very carefully about merit in appointments."
Senator Hanson's chief of staff James Ashby, who has previously indicated Mr Roberts would be pre-selected for another Senate tilt, defended the appointments.
"You don't let good talent go, and we've got one of the busiest offices. We're going to utilise the skills of both gentlemen while they're available," he told The Australian.
