Animal rights campaigner Mark Pearson took a call on Friday morning that few people predicted.
The NSW parliament's newest member wasn't in Sydney to watch electoral officials declare that he had taken final slot in the state's upper house, unexpectedly edging out fellow micro-party candidate Peter Jones of the No Land Tax party.
"Suddenly I'm being told by the secretary of the Legislative Council, `You're starting next Monday. See you at nine o'clock at Parliament House,'" the newly minted Animal Justice Party MLC told AAP.
The former psychiatric nurse said he is looking forward to getting to work on the kind of causes you might expect an animal rights party to pursue - fighting so-called "ag-gag" laws, closing puppy factories, and ruling out shooting in the state's national parks.
But Mr Pearson has not ruled out co-operation with returned Shooters and Fishers MP Robert Borsak and his party colleague Robert Brown.
"I'm happy to work with any member of parliament to fight the good fight for animals," he said.
"It's not a single-issue party. It's a single-purpose party."
He plans to put forward a bill aimed at phasing out factory farming and says he thinks the Shooters and the Christian Democrat Party would support such a law.
Moments after Mr Pearson secured his place in parliament, the Shooters party sent what many interpreted as a tongue-in-cheek message on Twitter: "We look forward to working with Animal Justice Party to promote vital role conservation hunting plays in protecting native animals."
But Mr Pearson is optimistic.
"We'll lock horns, but we'll also talk about these things. I intend to change their mind on that point," he added cheerfully.
As for the government's electricity network leasing plans, Mr Pearson remains unconvinced.
"I don't think the argument's over, and I don't think it's signed, sealed and delivered for the Liberal government," he said.
"To privatise something which is an essential need is very dangerous."
