New-look Senate threatens Labor’s agenda as crossbench welcomes Thorpe

A new-look Senate could force the government to rethink negotiations on its short-term legislative agenda after newly independent Senator Lidia Thorpe was welcomed to the crossbench with open arms.

Alliances were all to play for in the Senate on Tuesday, where Thorpe and kingmaker David Pocock could be seen sharing a warm embrace. Smiles and handshakes with colleagues carried out across the chamber. 

In among them was Senate opposition leader Simon Birmingham, who has had an early conversation with Thorpe, Crikey understands, while Thorpe and Pocock, whose offices in Canberra are just two doors down from one another, have been engaged in discussion as well. 

Pocock told Crikey he looks forward to working with Thorpe in the new makeup of the Senate, which he said increased the capacity of all crossbenchers to push Labor for “more ambition” and “better outcomes” on contested legislation. 

Thorpe now finds herself on a crossbench where Labor will have to find an additional vote of support to push through its legislative agenda on issues opposed by the Coalition, as the Greens’ hold on the balance of power in the Senate is weakened.

At a press conference on Monday, Thorpe announced her resignation from the Greens to pursue leadership of what she called the “Blak sovereign movement”, which she said she couldn’t continue to do from within the party given leadership support for the Voice.

She said she will continue to vote with the Greens on matters related to climate change, but withheld her support for the party’s full policy platform. 

Shortly after the announcement, independent Senator Jacqui Lambie took to Twitter to offer her support for the move to the crossbench, which she herself made in 2014, following her defection from the Palmer United Party. 

Lambie, who is the only senator in 50 years to secure reelection after defecting from a party, also stands to benefit from the move, as Labor finds itself vying for an extra vote. Her office, however, said she doesn’t have anything further to add to the matter. 

History shows the majority don’t have the same success. Former senator Rex Patrick quit his Centre Alliance party to sit as an independent during his term in 2020, before an unsuccessful federal election bid saw him exit Parliament last year. 

Patrick said Thorpe will need to walk a fine line between keeping her base happy and making sure the government is “a little bit nervous” about whether it has her support. 

“Without the exercise of political skill, she will have neither the benefit of a party’s voting power nor the benefit of holding the balance of power on the crossbench,” Patrick told Crikey.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Greens Leader Adam Bandt reminded Labor that his party still “centrally” holds the balance of power in the Senate, and that the government would still need to secure its support to deliver legislation the Coalition opposes. 

He said he was “very grateful” for Thorpe’s climate vote.