LABOR and the Coalition have defended a $4700 increase in the electorate allowance for federal politicians, despite calls by crossbench senators to defer or scrap the rise due to the recession.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's spokesman said the Government accepted the independent Remuneration Tribunal's decision to lift the allowance to $32,000 a year.

But the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association, which is lobbying for a pay rise for pensioners in the May budget, said the electorate allowance rise of about $90 a week adds "insult to injury".

"That's the sort of increase pensioners need," policy co-ordinator Charmaine Crowe said.

Greens leader Bob Brown said he would move to disallow the rise when Parliament returned next month. "It's hard to justify $90 a week for us when pensioners still don't know if they'll get $30 a week in the budget," Senator Brown said.