Micro party senators have defended their legitimacy to a seat on the crossbench amid calls to reform the Senate voting system.

It is predicted that a combination of micro party members will hold the balance of power in the new Senate – even though they only received a few thousand primary votes.

Vote-counting for the Senate is a complex, painstaking affair and the final make-up is still subject to change.

But there are six micro party candidates who look on track to enter the Upper House next July, joining others such as the Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) John Madigan.

The group includes Wayne Dropulich from the Australian Sports Party, the Liberal Democrats’ David Leyonhjelm and .

In New South Wales the theory is that some people may have confused the Liberal Democrats for the Liberals, and Mr Leyonhjelm was the lucky name in the first column on the vast Senate voting paper.

But Mr Leyonhjelm believes his party would have picked up votes regardless where it was positioned on the ballot.

“We think we would’ve won no matter where we were on the ballot paper. Our vote in South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania was 3.5 to 4 per cent, and by our calculations that would’ve meant we were elected anyway,” he told the ABC’s 7.30 program.

“So we think we would’ve got there without the donkey vote, but I’m quite happy to have the donkey vote.

“Every party in every election, every ballot paper wants to have the first position, so we were just lucky.”

Mr Dropulich also says his party was open about its principles.

“Whether it’s the way that the system is run for the Senate, and we’ve campaigned out there and got our votes and the preferences look like they’re going to be going our way,” he said.

“We spoke to all the other parties that were contesting Western Australia in the Senate and explained to them our policy and what we’re all about.

“They obviously thought that what we stood for and our agenda is a good thing, and they agreed with what they stand for. So they’ve obviously preferenced us accordingly and so it’s resulted in where we are at the moment.”

Senator Madigan added none of the micro or minor parties made the rules for the Senate voting system.

“They haven’t broken the rules. They’ve done nothing to deceive people. They’ve stood for election and they’ve been elected and that’s what a democracy’s about,” he said.

Crossbenchers to hold balance of power

The biggest challenge potentially facing the Abbott Government over the next three years could be an unruly Senate.

Both Labor and the Greens have indicated they will not support moves to dump the carbon pricing scheme.

This would would leave the bill deadlocked in the Senate and could trigger a double dissolution election – an option Mr Abbott has said is on the table.

An alternative would be to wait until the newly-elected senators take their seats next July, though that would mean negotiating with a disparate group.

Mr Dropulich would not be drawn on what his party’s position is on the carbon tax, .

“At this stage we’re about a week away probably before we find out if we definitely have won a seat in the WA Senate,” he said.

“The Electoral Commission said that and when that time comes and if we are still fortunate enough to have one of those seats in the WA Senate, we’ll then move on to the next phase of this whole process and then come out with all our various policies and all those various issues.”

Mr Leyonhjelm says his libertarian party is in favour of low taxes, less bureaucracy, smaller government and less expenditure.

He says he would then be in favour of the carbon tax being repealed – but not other Coalition policies.

“We would definitely support that… But we are not in favour of the Coalition’s policy on climate change, for example. It’s just a large amount of money down a black hole which will achieve nothing.”

New government’s mandate to repeal carbon tax

Mr Leyonhjelm added he would be guided by his party’s principles when voting on legislation.

“We respect his (Mr Abbott’s) mandate and we wouldn’t seek to block anything that didn’t contravene our two principles, that is, a reduction in tax – reduction in taxes or an increase in liberty,” he said.

“So as long as he wasn’t aiming to increase taxes or deprive us of any of our freedoms, we respect his mandate.”

Senator Madigan also wants to see the carbon tax scrapped.

“But we are concerned deeply about what’s happening down at Yallourn in Victoria in the La Trobe Valley,” he said.

“There’s 75 workers who’ve been shut out of Energy Australia’s plant. We’re concerned about the transition to the so-called clean energy future and the fact – where’s the money that the La Trobe Valley was promised, for instance?

“We’re concerned about the Energy Security Council and the $500-odd million that Energy Australia received from the Federal Government.

“And in the abolition of the carbon tax, what are they going to do about the Clean Energy Regulator and the systemic regulatory failure that has come about in the wind industry and also the problems in the solar industry?”

Senator Madigan says he hopes the Senate continues to be a house of review.

“Being elected to Parliament, to the Senate, is a privilege, it’s not a licence to bludgeon,” he said.

“But it is a licence to put forward people’s concerns and to express sections of our society that get ignored.”