The departure of up to two crossbench senators and the uncertainty over who might replace them has provided the government with fresh obstacles in their efforts to pass legislation.

Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra deputy vice-chancellor (education) Nick Klomp discuss how Bob Day’s resignation and the legal problems confronting One Nation’s Rod Culleton will impact the numbers in the Senate.

“It means that we have one less senator because Bob Day is gone. It’s not clear whether the One Nation senator is going to vote on bills - or not vote on bills. He’s given signals both ways and there’s also the complication that the government is clearly having a lot of trouble with its negotiations on the industrial legislation which it’s particularly anxious to get through,” Grattan says.

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