A barnyard of minor parties will control Australia's new Senate when they take office next July, judging from provisional figures at the close of counting on election night.

As the numbers stand, eight minor party senators from separate groups, some of them virtually unknown entities with no track record and no known policies, will be given the power to decide whether or not each government bill should be passed.

Tony Abbott's Coalition government will need to negotiate a senate that includes Labor, the Greens, the Palmer United Party and others, such as independent senator Nick Xenophon. 2N1C0404.JPG Credit:Penny Bradfield

They include Wayne Dropulich, a gridiron-playing engineer who is likely to win election as a senator from Western Australia. His Australian Sports Party has no policies other than advocating lots of sport, and won just 0.22 per cent of the vote. But with preferences from other small parties, he is likely to get a Senate quota ahead of the second Labor candidate, who had 12.33 per cent.