Two of the country’s top watchdog chiefs have urged the Albanese government to boost the amount they can pay barristers, warning a 13-year salary freeze has created an uneven legal battlefield that hinders law enforcement.

In a rare joint push on the government, competition watchdog chief Gina Cass-Gottlieb and corporate regulator chairman Joe Longo say rules that limit government agencies to paying as little as a fifth of what barristers can earn with private clients severely undercut their ability to attract the best legal minds.