Pauline Hanson had just two words to say when she arrived at Parliament House: "I'm back."
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Senator Hanson joined her new colleagues on Tuesday for what is known as 'Senate school' - a guide to the procedures and practices that govern the upper house.
Flanked by her One Nation workmates Malcolm Roberts, Rodney Culleton and Brian Burston, the group took their place beside other new faces such as Derryn Hinch, Skye Kakoschke-Moore, from the Nick Xenophon Team, and returnee, Labor's Louise Pratt.
Official group photographs hardly make the most convivial setting for people to get to know each other but Senator Kakoschke-Moore made a beeline for Senator Hanson while Senator Pratt stood with Labor colleagues Pat Dodson and Malarndirri McCarthy.
After noting it had been "18 years" since her first appearance at Parliament House, Senator Hanson commented on the differences in procedure of the lower and upper houses before she was saved from making further conversation by the Usher of the Black Rod, Rachel Callinan.
Senator Hinch enjoyed the peaceful setting of the private courtyard of Senate President Stephen Parry who joked that all senators would be subject to a quiz on the rules of the Senate.
Senator Hinch began his day with a round of media interviews where he said although he was sympathetic to the government he was not going to be "green lighting them on everything".
"The thing here is this government was elected and you must keep that in mind with everything you do," Senator Hinch told ABC television.
"You must look kindly on some of their major issues they're trying to push through."
Last month Senator Hinch criticised Senator Hanson for her anti Islam policies saying he was "not looking forward" to working with her and that the pair had "very little in common".
"She is very pleasant and what comes out of her mouth is not very pleasant," Senator Hinch said in July.
But on Tuesday he said he was keen to work with his fellow crossbenchers to try and be "conciliatory".
That attitude only goes so far.
"I was told by one senior minister when they were looking up seating arrangements, they said you'd probably like to sit with somebody, [with] people of your ilk in the Senate. I said there's nobody of my ilk in the Senate," Senator Hinch said.
There are 12 new members of the Senate - including two returnees - who will be out of school and into the chamber when Parliament returns next Tuesday.
The Senate of the 45th Parliament will have the largest ever group of crossbenchers at 20, made up of nine Greens' senators and 11 others.
