The resignation of Glenn Lazarus from the Palmer United Party won't change the government's approach to the Senate, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.
Senator Lazarus, the PUP's leader in the upper house, on Thursday night announced he would sit as an independent.
The decision follows a falling out with PUP founder Clive Palmer and the sacking of his wife Tess from a party job.
It means the government now has to negotiate separately with all eight Senate crossbenchers, in order to get six of them on side to pass legislation.
"The challenge for the government is the same now as it was before," Mr Abbott told Adelaide radio 5AA.
"It is to talk in good faith to all of the Senate crossbenchers."
Mr Abbott said the government only had to deal with the crossbench when Labor and the Greens took a "feral" attitude to the coalition's legislation.
"The crossbenchers only have the balance of power because the Labor Party just says `no'," Mr Abbott said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says there seems to be trouble at the Palmer mill.
"I deal with Glenn Lazarus and Dio Wang (the remaining PUP senator)," Mr Shorten said.
"They are people of conscience. I don't know what's happened there.
"We are going to deal with the senators on the issues rather than necessarily every twist and turn of the Clive Palmer show."
Independent Senator Nick Xenophon says the departure of Senator Lazarus will make it more difficult for the government.
"Previously, government ministers could have dinner with Clive at the Wild Duck, or wherever they went, and now it's just that little bit more difficult," Senator Xenophon said.
