Jacqui Lambie resurrects political career as Clive Palmer tanks

Outspoken Tasmanian Jacqui Lambie is set to return to the Senate, but mining magnate Clive Palmer's $80 million political comeback bid appears to have failed.

The Morrison government is not expected to form a majority in the next Senate but will likely be dealing with a six-member crossbench smaller and less ideologically disparate than the last.

Jacqui Lambie looks set to return to the Senate after being forced to resign from Parliament over dual-citizenship concerns.Credit: AAP

With about half the Senate vote counted on Sunday, the Coalition appeared on track for about 34 upper house seats – short of the 39 seats it needs to seize outright control.

Labor and the Greens look likely to hold about 36 seats between them, meaning if those two parties voted as a bloc, the Coalition would be forced to negotiate with the crossbench to pass measures such as its $158 billion income tax relief plan.

The previous Parliament's 11-member crossbench looks to have shrunk to six.

The Greens achieved a strong result and are likely to retain all six Senate seats the party contested at this election, despite facing tough fights in three of them.

Jacqui Lambie is poised for a Senate return and warned the Morrison government must treat her "a hell of a lot better" this time around.

Ms Lambie was elected to the Senate in the 2013 election but quit in 2016 after being ensnared in the dual-citizenship saga.

Speaking on Saturday night, she told Prime Minister Scott Morrison that if she held the balance of power, "I hope to God you and your people treat me a hell of a lot better than what they did in the three and a half years I was up here.

"Otherwise … if I'm part of that balance of power, we're going to have a lot of difficulty getting things through ... it's going to cost you a lot of money, which is great for Tasmania because I'll be able to deliver.

"You know what? Drop the attitude."

In Queensland, One Nation's Malcolm Roberts looks to have edged out United Australia Party's Clive Palmer.

Mr Roberts, an avowed climate sceptic, was elected to the Senate in 2016 but was also forced out over citizenship issues.

An $80 million campaign advertising blitz did not give Mr Palmer the comeback he sought.

Clive Palmer appears to have missed out on a Senate spot despite a big-spending campaign.Credit: AAP

However, he says his 4 per cent primary vote helped re-elect the government, and Labor agrees that preference deals between the Coalition and Mr Palmer's party contributed to its disastrous showing in Queensland.

Ultra-conservative Fraser Anning has lost his Senate spot – prompting North Sydney Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman to declare it "one of the great outcomes of this election".

"There have been a lot of people concerned about the rise in extremism here and around the world. And what we've [shown] tonight is Australians reject the type of extremism Fraser Anning was offering," Mr Zimmerman reportedly said.

Justice Party senator Derryn Hinch is on track to lose his Victorian Senate spot, and Liberal Democrat Duncan Spender has also missed out.

The Centre Alliance – formerly the Nick Xenophon Team – will occupy two Senate seats.

The absence of Senate wildcards such as senators Hinch, Spender and Anning will probably grant the Coalition an easier Senate ride. Liberal defector Cory Bernardi - who wasn't up for re-election - said he would support the government's tax relief agenda. Observers say the government can probably also rely on the Centre Alliance and One Nation to back those plans. Comment has been sought from those parties and Ms Lambie.