“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan... Even before the 45th Federal Parliament sits, the naysayers, the pessimists and those with power and influence are forecasting a calamitous Senate. The government will not have a “mandate”… “Woe is me!”

A government answering to a diverse parliament challenges pre-conceived ideas of democracy in the world of a two-party dominated system.

The cries of anguish, the predictions of catastrophe tell us more about the preconceived ideas of those who are feeling their own loss of control rather than those at whom they are pointing the finger.

There will be a considerable challenge for the Prime Minister and other ministers in dealing with the crossbenchers – particularly in the Senate. Business as usual will simply not work. Rather than preparing legislation and asking for support, ministers will need to negotiate early, understand what senators really want, the compromises that may need to be made and consider alternative approaches. This is democracy at work.

When the Turnbull government is feeling put upon, they should reflect on the success of then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who had a minority in both houses of parliament and was still able to deliver more legislation than ever before. Surely this government would not want to be shown up by, of all people, “that woman”.

The diversity of the crossbenchers in the Senate reflects the diversity in our community. Some will agree and others strongly disagree on many issues with those elected from the hard right and the more conservative elements within the coalition. However, the views that they represent are reflected in the community. The diversity in the Senate is a great illustration that the proportional electoral system delivers a mirror of the population.

I well recall the days of the laughing stock of the first ACT Assembly with the No Self Government and Abolish Self Government Party MLAs. The reality was, however, that Dennis Stevenson, Craig Duby, Carmel Maher and David Prowse knuckled down, worked hard and, despite some outrageous idiosyncrasies, delivered their idea of better outcomes for the people of Canberra. The same thing happened in the previous Senate.

Former Senator Ricky Muir was dismissed in his early days as a bogan petrol-head and his crossbench colleague Glen Lazarus as a “thick rugby player”. Jacqui Lambie was treated as a joke. Each of these senators considered their role seriously, made time to understand the issues in front of them, listened to evidence and acted accordingly. All of the crossbenchers used Senate committees effectively to ensure matters were examined in detail, discussed with their colleagues and considered wisely.

In the last Senate, Nick Xenophon brought outstanding co-ordinating skills to the crossbench.

Although Prime Ministers Abbott and Turnbull both expressed frustration in dealing with a range of opinions, the work of Xenophon made it more likely that a wide range of legislation would pass through the parliament. It still meant some legislation would be rejected. Whether a political party scrapes a majority, governs with a minority in the lower house or has a considerable majority, a strong Senate that is not beholden to its own party facilitates proper review.

Increased accountability is the most important outcome of the Federal election. However, it does require judicious use of power by the crossbenches.

Senator Xenophon set the standard in his inaugural speech when he rejected horse trading as undermining the value of minority governments.

“Horse trading implies a willingness to vote for something you don’t believe in, in order to get something else you want,” he argued. “Sometimes when people do try and horse trade they can end up with a donkey, or worse still, end up making an ass of themselves.”

There is a danger that a few of the crossbenchers will slip into this style of negotiating, resulting in a completely disproportionate amount of power in the hands of one or two senators. It takes two to negotiate. When a government plays these games, it is also abusing power. Which brings us back to the conclusion of John O’Brien’s poem: “We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, “Before the year is out.”

Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health