Sitting weeks in Parliament can be exhausting: early starts, late nights and countless appointments can take their toll come Thursday.

For newly minted senator Derryn Hinch, however, just getting through day one proved tiring. The Human Headline was snapped catching some shut-eye during Governor-General Peter Cosgrove's welcoming address to the 45th Parliament.

A sprightly-sounding Hinch later told Fairfax Media he was "just resting the eyes for a minute" after a busy first day in the office and a late night on television.

"It's a baptism of fire," he said. "I tried to get a half-hour kip this afternoon . . . and the bloody bell started ringing at four minutes to five."