Jacqui Lambie's split with the Palmer United Party has just made the Abbott government's legislative program that much harder.
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The pressure on government senate leader and Tasmanian Senator Eric Abetz is enormous, for a man who usually crashes through rather than negotiates.
He will need all his skills of persuasion. Known as the "bomb thrower" within the Coalition in the Howard government years, Senator Abetz is on a steep learning curve.
Any failure to win over the cross bench senators will firstly be Senator Abetz's failure before it becomes Tony Abbott's.
The Senate has 18 cross bench senators, a record high number.
"One is never sure what is worse: a government in control of both chambers in Canberra, or a government stuck in an endless parade of negotiated outcomes with a hostile Senate."
The Liberals have 33, Labor 25, the Greens 10, Palmer United Party 2, independents now 3 with Senator Lambie's defection; Liberal Democrats 1, Family First 1 and Australian Motoring Enthusiasts Party 1.
The previous record was 13 cross bench senators between 2002-05.
Some of these cross bench senators were elected with a handful of votes.
Ricky Muir landed a Senate seat with 479 votes, or 0.01 per cent of the vote in Victoria.
Senator Lambie attracted 1501 votes or 0.45 per cent, but with other cross benches she can determine the government's agenda.
There's nothing new about this.
President Barack Obama's Democrat Party just lost its majority in the American Senate, giving the Republican Party control of both Houses of Congress in th crucial lead-up to the presidential race in two years.
One is never sure what is worse: a government in control of both chambers in Canberra, or a government stuck in an endless parade of negotiated outcomes with a hostile Senate.
The Howard government had control of both chambers in its last term and over reached with its Work Choices reforms.
No chance of that now. Senator Abetz had better brush up on his charm.