The first day of the parliament began with a church service, then an official opening in the Great Hall of Parliament, where politicians pledged to work for all Australians.
But the hostilities between the Coalition, Labor and the Senate crossbench were not far from the surface.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told those gathered that the new parliament provides an opportunity to ensure the country is governed for all.
"Ours, my friends, is the most successful multicultural nation in the world, complex and evolving, a work in progress always as we strive here in this parliament to a better and fairer society. So let us continue, the 45th parliament, in the way we begin it today, with mutual respect, goodwill and a shared commitment to advance Australia and all Australians."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said he agrees.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"Parliament is not an end in itself, but a means of taking all Australians to greater progress, security and opportunity. And Australians most certainly want this 45th parliament to be capable of rising above self-seeking, narrow sectional interests, to be capable of raising the standard of living and opportunity for all Australians."
However, outside parliament's Great Hall, it was a different story.
Almost 17 weeks after calling the election, the Government is seeking parliament's support to pass budget savings Malcolm Turnbull has described as a fundamental moral challenge.
But manager of opposition business Tony Burke says the Government's draft omnibus bill contains welfare cuts the Opposition rejected in the last parliament.
Mr Burke has told the ABC Labor is thankful it had not already made a public statement on its view before seeing it because, he says, the Government has lied about what is in it.
"We said we wanted to wait until we saw the bill because we didn't trust it would be as they described, and it's turned out we were exactly right. I am told there are 24 measures, not 21, and they are not all measures that Labor had included in its costings. So, the Government has been entirely deceptive with this. And if their first action is to lie to the Australian people about what was meant to be their centrepiece bill, that really tells you what the Turnbull Government's going to be about."
There is also trouble over a plebiscite for gay marriage.
Labor faces pressure to back the Government's plan for a plebiscite after the Greens and four key crossbench senators said they would block any enabling legislation.
Labor continues to insist the best way to achieve marriage equality is a free vote in parliament, but it will not commit to a position on the bill until it sees the detail.
And inside the Coalition, a split is emerging between Malcolm Turnbull's Cabinet and the backbench over race-hate laws.
The majority of the Coalition Senate backbenchers are likely to support a bill to weaken the laws.
Senator Cory Bernardi is expected to move a private member's bill this week to amend section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, arguing the law impedes free speech.
It is believed at least 10 Coalition senators, including John Williams and Barry O'Sullivan, will support that bill.
While the Coalition enters the new parliament with 76 seats in the lower house to Labor's 69, with five MPs on the crossbench, it is a different story in the Senate.
There, the Coalition holds 30 seats and will need nine votes to pass laws.
And it appears the Government has its work cut out for it to gain the Senate crossbench support.
Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm says, for him and some others, the goodwill with the Turnbull Government is gone.
"I think, probably for Bob Day and myself, the goodwill has largely evaporated, yes. So, yes, to answer your question, goodwill is in fairly short supply, as far as I am concerned. I understand from Bob that he's pretty much of the same view. It was never there very much in the case of Jaquie Lambie. But I expect, (for) the new senators, there will be no particular reason to be hostile from the beginning."
But there is more involved in the new parliament than just disillusionment with the Government.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon says, for example, he may have trouble working with his crossbench compatriots Senators Leyonhjelm and Day.
"No, we're strained, but, look, you know, I respect them. They've been elected by their respective electorates. We have very different philosophical views, but they bring a different perspective to the parliament and I respect that. That's part of the wonderful tapestry that is Australian democracy."
