Senate power players: Meet the crossbenchers who will hold balance of power

July 1 marked a new world order in the Senate, with eight colourful micro-party senators holding the Abbott Government's legislative agenda by the throat.

If it cannot secure support from Labor or the 10 Greens senators, the Coalition will need six of those eight micro-party crossbench votes.

Clive Palmer's three Palmer United Party (PUP) senators will hold crucial balance-of-power votes in the Senate - a position bolstered by their alliance with the Australian Motoring Enthusiast party Senator Ricky Muir.

The Government's ability to fulfil key election promises - like repealing the mining and carbon taxes - and enact billions of dollars in budget cuts and changes will rest in the hands of this new crossbench.

Glenn Lazarus

PUP Senate leader Glenn Lazarus is a rugby league legend known in his playing days as "the brick with eyes".

During a 12-year first-grade playing career, the prop forward won premierships with three clubs - the Canberra Raiders, Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm.

Since retiring in 1999 he has been a coach at both national and state level.

But the rugby league hardman was reduced to tears when the election results formally declared he had won a Senate seat.

As Upper House leader of the new balance-of-power party, Mr Lazarus is ostensibly one of the most powerful MPs in Parliament.

Jacqui Lambie

Even before entering Parliament, former soldier Jacqui Lambie made an impact with her fighting words.

A former Liberal Party member and failed preselection candidate for the Tasmanian seat of Braddon, she has called the Prime Minister and Treasurer "deceitful, lying political politicians" and claimed the Liberal Party is full of "gutless sycophants".

The outspoken PUP Senator told the ABC in May that she wants banks to pay more tax, free university education and has previously listed as her primary policy interests national security, seniors and youth.

Dio Wang

Barely five years after becoming an Australian citizen, the China-born and raised Dio (Zhenya) Wang entered the nation's Parliament.

But it has not been a smooth run into the Senate - the Mr Wang won his spot in the September election, lost it in the recount, and won it again in the re-run West Australia Senate vote.

For most of his time in Australia, he has worked for Australasian Resources Ltd - a company majority owned by his party leader Clive Palmer.

Most recently he was managing director - a position he has since resigned.

Ricky Muir

Showing the power of preference harvesting, the motoring enthusiast was elected with just 0.51 per cent of the vote.

Mr Muir struck a deal with PUP to form a voting bloc in October, but it appears to be a fairly loose arrangement.

A former sawmill worker, Mr Muir enters parliament fighting off bad press from a fumbled TV interview and video of him throwing kangaroo dung.

His party lists as one of 20 core values a belief in "minimal government interference".

Bob Day

A former South Australian public servant and plumber, Bob Day is also an officer of the Order of Australia for service to the housing industry and social welfare.

He is a former member of the Liberal Party who quit the party after losing a pre-selection battle with Jamie Briggs for the lower house seat of Mayo, when it was vacated by Alexander Downer in 2008.

Since his election representing the Family First Party, Mr Day has called for changes to unfair dismissal laws and says he will argue to allow employers to pay less than the minimum wage.

He has also criticised the PM's paid parental leave scheme and the Government's direct action climate change policy.

He has formed a voting bloc on economic issues with Liberal Democratic Party newcomer David Leyonhjelm.

David Leyonhjelm

David Leyonhjelm's Liberal Democratic Party pulled 9.5 per cent of the primary vote - a result attributed in part to the "donkey vote" given the first place position on the massive NSW ballot paper.

A former vet turned agribusiness consultant based in Sydney, Mr Leyonhjelm has been a member of Labor, the Liberal Party and the Shooters Party.

He quit the Liberals in protest over John Howard's crackdown on guns after the Port Arthur massacre and has recently argued that allowing people to carry guns would curb crime in western Sydney.

He supports the Government's bid to repeal the carbon and mining taxes, but - like his voting partner Bob Day - is opposed to the paid parental leave scheme and direct action.

Nick Xenophon

A veteran of the crossbench, independent Nick Xenophon has been in the Senate since 2008.

A former lawyer and state politician - on a No Pokies ticket - Senator Xenophon held the balance of power with the Greens and Family First from 2008-2011.

He has played a key role in debates including on gambling reform and the Murray-Darling basin, and has used parliamentary privilege to level accusations at the Church of Scientology and at a South Australian Catholic priest.

At the last election he increased his vote to 24.9 per cent.

John Madigan

Elected to the Senate in 2010 with 2.3 per cent of the vote, former blacksmith and boilermaker John Madigan, from Ballarat, formed his political views in a youth group run by Catholic political activist B.A Santamaria - who was a key force behind the formation of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) in the 1950s.

Senator Madigan is the first DLP member of parliament since 1974.

In keeping with those roots, he has conservative views on both social and economic issues.

He is pro-life, against same-sex marriage, opposes the privatisation of state assets and rails against politician's perks.