Former One Nation senator Fraser Anning has confirmed his defection from the party to sit as an independent, while former Family First senator Lucy Gichuhi, who left the party to become an independent, has now joined the Coalition in the Upper House.
Senator Gichuhi, formerly an independent, had vocal Liberal Party support as she announced her shifting allegiance to the Senate.
Senator Gichuhi's move, along with today's (February 5) swearing-in of retired major-general Jim Molan, restores the government's numbers to 30 in the Upper House.
Meanwhile, Labor senator Sam Dastyari's resignation following a scandal over his links to a Chinese political donor was confirmed.
His replacement, former New South Wales premier Kristina Keneally, will have to be endorsed by a joint sitting of state parliament before she can be sworn in.
