Understanding the word "crossbench" in 60 seconds

You might have read the news this week about Liberal MP Craig Kelly moving to the crossbench. Or you might have been reading a story about a bill set to pass in the Senate, only for a crossbencher to stop its passage. What is the crossbench? Who are crossbenchers?

Most seats in our Parliament are filled by the two major parties: the Coalition (which includes both the Liberal Party and the Nationals) and Labor. But there's a few smaller parties, and some independents, who make up the remainder.

A simple way to think about the crossbench is this: a Member of Parliament is on the crossbench if they don't belong to the parties in charge or the main party in opposition. The Greens, for instance, are on the crossbench. So are independent politicians.

The House of Representatives crossbench

Of the 151 members in Australia's lower house, seven are on the crossbench. This includes a Greens MP, Bob Katter from Katter Australia Party, Rebekha Sharkie from Centre Alliance, and four independents - including the newly independent Craig Kelly.

The Senate crossbench

Of the 76 members in Australia's upper house, 14 are on the crossbench. This includes nine Greens Senators, two One Nation Senators, Stirling Griff from Centre Alliance, Jacqui Lambie of the Lambie Network, and Rex Patrick of the Patrick Team.

Why the crossbench matters

In the Senate, you need some of the crossbench to pass bills: The Federal Government doesn't have a majority in the Senate, so they need some crossbenchers to support their plans.

In the House of Representatives, the Federal Government's majority is at risk. Since Kelly’s departure, the crossbench will now have a more significant role in helping to pass or block contentious legislation.