Voters should be wary of supporting minor political parties like the Palmer United Party because they have a tendency to be dysfunctional, two senior federal MPs say.
Labor's Anthony Albanese and Liberal frontbencher Christopher Pyne have used the conflict between Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie and PUP leader Clive Palmer to tout for the major parties.
"You should vote for a party of government," Mr Albanese told Nine Network on Friday.
He pointed to the "fair bit of dysfunction" rattling the PUP, labelling it the "Palmer Disunited Party".
Mr Pyne agreed and cautioned voters against "voting for these minor parties" because "inevitably we end up in this position".
Mr Palmer and Senator Lambie have been engaged in a public spat after butting heads over her pledge to vote against coalition government legislation until it considered a better Defence Force pay deal.
There's speculation Senator Lambie may quit PUP and she's taking the weekend to think over her position in the party.
But Mr Palmer isn't giving up on Senator Lambie.
"I think she's a team player and we'd like to keep her on board," he told ABC TV on Thursday.
"If she wants to have a talk I'd have no problem doing that."
Mr Palmer later stormed out of the interview with the broadcaster's Lateline program following questions regarding legal action being taken against him by a Chinese company.
The PUP holds sway in the upper house, where its combined bloc of three has been used to defeat the passage of government bills.
Mr Pyne said the government would continue to negotiate individually with cross bench senators over its legislation, including budget savings measures.
"Well, it's not going real well at the moment," Mr Albanese responded.
The Labor infrastructure spokesman said Senate crossbenchers want to hold the government "to account for its broken promises", such as its plan to cut ABC funding.
Mr Pyne rejected this, saying the government wasn't cutting the ABC.
"We want efficiencies in the delivery of government services. Why shouldn't the ABC be more efficient," he said.
The government has reduced funding for the ABC by $254 million over five years.
