It is a complex array of political negotiating.
To get Senator Nick Xenophon's support for its workplace-relations changes, the Government is working to satisfy his demand for improvements to the Murray-Darling river system.
But speaking to the ABC, the South Australian senator has been quick to deny that dealing amounts to political extortion.
"It would be amusing if it wasn't so wildly inaccurate. I just want people to stick to their word. It's not extortion to ask for people to stick to their word, to do the right thing, both in terms of good public policy and keeping their word. And that's pretty fundamental to me and my colleagues. And Rebecca Sharkey, my colleague in the lower house, the Member for Mayo, she represents the Murray mouth, the Lower Lakes, the Coorong, and great river systems die from the mouth up. And that's why it's important that this deal is honoured."
But any move to satisfy South Australian concerns on water could have wider ramifications with crossbench senators from other states.
Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhelm supports the Coalition's workplace changes, including the reinstatement of the building-union monitor.
But he says he has his limits.
"The only condition is that they don't go and agree to more water buybacks in order to satisfy Nick Xenophon's paranoia about South Australia and its water. The Prime Minister has assured me that there won't be any changes to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. And as long as that remains the case, then we have a deal."
It comes as former prime minister Tony Abbott has criticised balance-of-power senators, accusing them of blocking the Government's agenda.
He says the upper house is sabotaging the country's future.
But new Justice Party senator Derryn Hinch has hit back, pointing out the major parties still have the vast majority of numbers in the parliament.
"Abbott's got it wrong this time. Last week, Nick Xenophon and I got the whistleblowers amendment through by cooperating and working with the Government, with Michaelia Cash. This week, we've already got the agreement, the deal, the amendment, over subbies, protection for subcontractors. There'll be some more issues on ABCC,* but I think we're working well. And Pauline (Hanson) is right on this: I mean, there are 26 Labor senators and nine Greens, and, if they have great ideas, we'd become actually irrelevant."
A new poll shows a significant groundswell of support for the independent MPs.
The latest Fairfax-Ipsos survey finds 18 per cent would vote for what are termed "others."
Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh says it is a wake-up call for the major parties.
"Because it's not just in this poll, and we've seen the trend over recent years in Australia. We've seen it in most of the major advanced economies, people moving away from the major parties. So, as a major-party representative, I feel incumbent on me is to do a better job in advocating for good policy, making sure that we're out there in the regions, to engage in communities that feel that they've been left behind in Australia. And that's, really, the only way to turn this around."
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