Tinker, Tradie, Soldier, Shock Jock - Meet The 11 New Crossbench Senators

    Tinker, Tradie, Soldier, Shock Jock.

    Alice Workman
    by Alice Workman

    Political Reporter, Canberra

    Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government is nine seats shy of the majority it needs to pass legislation in the senate.

    This means they’ll have to negotiate with the 11 crossbenchers, including the four One Nation senators. So who are they?

    1. Pauline Hanson, One Nation

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    Name: Pauline Lee Hanson

    State: Queensland

    Age: 62

    Politics: right-wing, anti-immigration.

    Former occupation: fish and chip shop owner, lower house member for one term 1996-1998.

    Fun fact: she's appeared on Dancing with the Stars, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Celebrity Apprentice.

    Pauline Hanson is the co-founder of One Nation and the party's leader in the senate. With four senators they're one short of having official party status.

    Originally a member of the Liberal party she was disendorsed and served one term as the member for Oxley. Since 1998 Hanson has run more than 10 unsuccessful election campaigns in state and federal elections with One Nation and Pauline Hanson's United Australia Party.

    She was expelled from One Nation in 2002 and served 11 weeks in jail for electoral fraud before her conviction was overturned. She rejoined the party as leader in 2013.

    The party wants immigration levels limited to the number of people leaving - meaning for every person who leaves the country, one person can enter. They want each new citizen to pass an English test and immigrants to only get social security for five years.

    Hanson has called for a ban on Muslim immigration to Australia, a Royal Commission into Islam, a ban on building new mosques, a ban on the burqa and other full face coverings, surveillance cameras inside mosques and Muslim schools and a reduction in temporary protection visas from three to two years.

    They've floated the idea of a National Identity Card for Australians who access taxpayer funded services.

    One Nation opposes same-sex marriage but the party is willing to support a plebiscite or referendum. They also want to legalise voluntary euthanasia.

    Hanson has told her colleagues that if they disagree with the party, they are allowed to cross the floor.

    2. Malcolm Roberts, One Nation

    One Nation / Via onenation.com.au

    Name: Malcolm Roberts

    State: QLD

    Age: 61

    Politics: right-wing, anti-immigration, climate sceptic.

    Former occupation: coal miner, engineer, mine manager, self employed owner of a consulting company.

    Fun fact: describes himself as a "sovereign citizen" and writes his name "Malcolm-Ieuan: Roberts".

    Roberts was elected with only 77 first preference votes, the smallest winning margin of any senator. His vote is much lower than the 44th parliament's "accidental senator" Ricky Muir who was elected on 479 personal votes.

    The Queenslander wants amendments to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, because "when we have free speech curbed it means we don't talk about the real issues - tax Islam, terrorism, the economy".

    Head of the climate sceptic group the Galileo Movement, Roberts also wants an inquiry into the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO, which he claims is a conspiracy of international bankers.

    But he's in favour of plebiscite on same-sex marriage.

    3. Brian Burston, One Nation

    One Nation / Via onenation.com.au

    Name: Brian Burston

    State: NSW

    Politics: right-wing, anti-immigration.

    Former occupation: architectural design consultant, teacher, former deputy mayor of Cessnock, adviser in NSW parliament.

    Fun fact: he has an identical twin called Graham.

    Burston has been a member of One Nation since its founding and is a former national director of the party. His twin brother ran for One Nation in the seat of Paterson.

    He was sacked from One Nation along with party co-founder David Oldfield after an internal dispute in 2000, but rejoined Hanson a few years later.

    Supports Hanson's calls for a Royal Commission into Islam and has previously warned "the Caliphate is coming".

    Says he is passionate about border security and national identity.

    4. Rodney Culleton, One Nation

    One Nation / Via onenation.com.au

    Name: Rod Culleton

    State: WA

    Age: 52

    Politics: right-wing, pro-multiculturalism.

    Former occupation: farmer, business man and board director.

    Fun fact: he doesn't support the party's position that multiculturalism has failed as he's married to a Greek woman.

    The former Nationals voter was a wheat and sheep farmer in Williams, 160km southeast of Perth, until ANZ foreclosed his property in 2013.

    Question marks surround whether Culleton is eligible to serve as a senator, as he's been convicted for theft in NSW and is due to face trial in Perth this month over allegations he stole a hire car. The constitution bans people from entering federal parliament if they are awaiting or serving time for crimes with sentences of 12 months jail or more. If he is deemed ineligible it's likely the seat will go to the number two or three candidates on the ticket - his brother-in-law Peter Georgiou or his wife Ioanna Culleton.

    As well as disagreeing on multiculturalism, Culleton doesn't support the party's ban on Muslim immigration. Instead he wants to stop the "financial terrorism" of banks through a Royal Commission and have a moratorium on farm closures, which he says has pushed some farmers to suicide.

    5. Nick Xenophon, Nick Xenophon Team

    Robert Prezioso / Getty Images

    Name: Nick Xenophon

    State: South Australia

    Age: 57

    Politics: centrist, protectionist.

    Former occupation: lawyer, university lecturer, SA state politician.

    Fun Fact: is a big fan of love song dedication radio shows, and says if he called in he would request Bette Midler's 'The Rose'.

    The leader of the Nick Xenophon Team (NXT) in the senate, he was first elected in 2007. The "cult of Nick" has grown to include two other SA Senators and one lower house MP, giving him a lot of negotiation power in the crossbench.

    With the tagline "A Common Sense, Fair Alternative", Xenophon considers himself a centrist politician. His main policies are poker machine reform, protecting local manufacturing jobs, more transparency in government and protection for whistleblowers.

    He supports Labor's Royal Commission into banking, and Lambie's Royal Commission into defence abuse and veterans' welfare.

    6. Stirling Griff, NXT

    Stirling Griff / Via stirlinggriff.net

    Name: Stirling Griff

    State: South Australia

    Politics: centrist, protectionist.

    Former occupation: banker for the Bank of Adelaide, manager of Readers Digest, CEO of the Retail Traders Association.

    Fun fact: he's been a friend of Xenophon's for more than 17 years.

    The second in command in NXT, often referred to as Xenophon's "faceless man", he was the campaign director during the election.

    Griff describes himself as a political "centrist" - swinging to the right on issues affecting small business and to the left on social issues such as same-sex marriage.

    Along with Xenophon and Labor he's in favour of a Royal Commission into the banking sector. He has hinted he's in favour of scrapping penalty rates.

    7. Skye Kakoschke-Moore, NXT

    Brenton Edwards / Getty Images

    Name: Skye Kakoschke-Moore

    State: South Australia

    Age: 31

    Politics: centrist.

    Former occupation: Xenophon policy adviser.

    Fun fact: was born in Darwin but grew up in Oman in the Middle East where her father worked as an air traffic controller.

    Kakoschke-Moore worked in Xenophon's office since graduating with an Economics Law degree Flinders University in 2010. Before the election she was working as his legislation and policy adviser.

    The South Australian says she's interested in gambling law reform, and encouraging more young women to run for parliament.

    8. Bob Day, Family First

    Mick Tsikas / AAPIMAGE

    Name: Bob Day

    State: South Australia

    Age: 64

    Politics: right-wing conservative.

    Former occupation: plumber, builder, science technician.

    Fun fact: he has an unrestricted pilots licence.

    Day was a surprise winner of the 12th and final senate seat in South Australia, pushing out Labor's Anne McEwen and winning by 0.04 of a quota.

    First elected in 2013, the Family First Senator is a right-wing conservative monarchist. He's previously been a candidate for the Liberal Party but resigned after he failed to win preselection for the lower house seat of Mayo.

    He was the most vocal opponent to the Coalition's changes to senate voting laws and lost a High Court challenge against the legislation.

    The self described "IGA of Australian politics", Day doesn't believe in man-made climate change and advocates cuts to welfare and a flat 20% tax.

    The former national president of the Housing Industry Association is staunchly in favour of reintroducing the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) aka the reason Malcolm Turnbull called the double dissolution election.

    9. David Leyonhjelm, Liberal Democrat Party

    Mick Tsikas / AAP

    Name: David Leyonhjelm

    State: NSW

    Age: 64

    Politics: libertarian.

    Former occupation: veterinarian (and cat lover), marketing manager, agribusiness consultant.

    Fun fact: his family are of Swedish noble origin.

    Leyonhjelm was first elected in 2013, he was a member of Young Labor in the 1970s and worked on the 'It's Time' Whitlam campaign. He later joined the Liberal party but, disagreeing with the gun law reforms introduced by John Howard, then joined the Shooters party before joining the LDP.

    The libertarian senator is economically conservative and socially progressive, and a member of the free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. He believes government should play a minimal role in society and wants lower taxes, less regulation, free markets and individual liberty. In the last parliament he formed a voting bloc with Family First senator Bob Day on economic issues.

    He chaired a senate inquiry into the Nanny State, which declared war on laws and regulations that restrict personal freedom including lock out laws, plain packaging for cigarettes, alcohol taxes, firearms restrictions, fines for public nudity and not wearing helmets, and regulations around the sale of pornography and violent video games.

    Leyonhjelm's a supporter of same-sex marriage and says he will vote in favour of a plebiscite because he believes it's the fastest way for same-sex marriage to become law.

    10. Jacqui Lambie, Jacqui Lambie Network

    Mick Tsikas / AAPIMAGE

    Name: Jacqui Lambie

    State: Tasmania

    Age: 45

    Politics: a mixture of Greens, Labor and One Nation.

    Former occupation: soldier, political adviser in state parliament.

    Fun fact: lost 40kg before running for parliament in 2013.

    The former Liberal candidate first won her spot in the senate in 2013 on the Palmer United Party team, but resigned four months later to become an independent.

    The Tasmanian senator is a conservative on immigration. She wants everyone who enters the country to be vetted on whether they support sharia law, and for New Zealanders to be citizens for five years before they get access to welfare.

    She agrees with One Nation on banning the burqa and has called for a reintroduction of the death penalty for citizens who leave the country to become foreign fighters.

    Like Labor she doesn't back the Coalition's plan to cut the company tax rate or re-establish the ABCC, and supports the Greens' aged care and pensioners policy.

    The former corporal wants a Royal Commission into defence abuse and veterans' welfare and thinks national service should be compulsory for young people.

    Lambie also supports dedicated parliament seats for Indigenous Australians, similar to the system in New Zealand.

    She's previously stated she'll "fight like hell" against same-sex marriage, and is in favour of a referendum.

    11. Derryn Hinch, Justice Party

    Scott Barbour / Getty Images

    Name: Derryn Hinch

    State: Victoria

    Age: 72

    Politics: unpredictable.

    Former occupation: radio and tv host, journalist, media commentator.

    Fun fact: just like Hanson, he's performed on Dancing with the Stars and been to jail.

    At 72 the former shock jock is the oldest of the crossbenchers. He was born in New Zealand, and came to Australia when he was 19.

    Hinch has been to jail three times for contempt of court and breaching suppression orders against naming murderers and sex offenders. He's served more than 60 days in prison and five months in home detention. He's also been married to Oscar-nominated actress Jacqui Weaver twice.

    The Justice Party focused their campaign on, you guessed it, justice. Specifically justice in sentencing, and animal justice. One of their central platforms is a public sex offender register, and domestic violence, bail and parole law reform. He wants a royal commission into the Family Court and child protection agencies.

    He supports the Coalition's policy to cut the company tax rate, but isn't sold on the ABCC or the proposed changes to superannuation.

    Hinch describes himself as an atheist who is in favour of legalising voluntary euthanasia. He received a liver transplant five years ago and lists making organ donations easier as one of his main priorities.