The Nationals have spent their first question time as crossbenchers after the coalition's dramatic divorce saw them punted off the opposition front bench.
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Parliament resumed on Tuesday for the first time since the Liberals and Nationals broke up, leaving the Liberals as the sole opposition party.
The political breakup has prompted a number of changes in parliamentary procedure, including Nationals MPs being banished to the back benches.
Leader David Littleproud, deputy Kevin Hogan, and former veterans affairs spokesman Darren Chester would all usually sit on the front benches, alongside Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.
But on Tuesday, the trio had been moved back a row.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers was among the Labor figures to taunt members of the ruptured coalition, quipping "I can't hear you back there" when Mr Littleproud asked a question about interest rates.
The split leaves the Liberals - now the official opposition - with 28 seats in the lower house: the same number as the crossbench.
That prompted independent MP Andrew Wilkie to ask whether the crossbench, which now includes Nationals, Greens and independents, could be considered the opposition.
"The cross bench is now as big as the Liberal Party and likely to soon exceed them with more defections. On what basis are the Libs still regarded as the opposition and enjoying the perks that go with it?" he asked the prime minister.
Anthony Albanese said he'd been having "respectful discussions" with Ms Ley about arrangements in parliament.
"I am very much a traditionalist," he said.
"There are representations being made to me about a range of issues. I will treat those representations respectfully," Mr Albanese told parliament.
Leader of the House Tony Burke blasted the former coalition parties for their dysfunction, while announcing other changes to parliamentary procedure.
"We still have the traditional crossbench over in the corner there," he told parliament.
"But we now have the cross, the very cross and the apoplectic, all in front of us here."
The Nationals also had to share their allocated questions during Question Time with independent and Greens MPs as a result of the split.
Usually, government and non-government MPs alternate questions.
But because of the changes in parliament, non-government questions were divided evenly between the Liberals and the crossbench, which includes the Nationals.
"This is the only practical way to be able to deal with the chaos that we have from those opposite," Mr Burke said.
The changes follow a rare moment of political unity when MPs and senators from Labor, the Liberals and the Nationals attended a church service in Canberra to mark the start of the parliamentary year.
Parliament was recalled early in January to pass hate crime laws in response to December's Bondi massacre, but proceedings officially resumed on Tuesday for a fortnight of sittings.
As they were entering the service, a number of MPs from the conservative side of politics said they were praying for a coalition reunion.
But Queensland Liberal MP Scott Buccholz said "divine intervention" was needed for that to happen.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led a reading at the church service, calling for love, peace and showing honour to one another.
"Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection," he said.
In her gospel reading, Ms Ley encouraged people to stay faithful and not stray into the wilderness.
Australian Associated Press
