A minority Labor government, a proper crossbench, and a former junior governing party with a point to prove. Buckle up, it's going to be a wild four years in the ACT Legislative Assembly.
The humdrum of the last territory parliament is gone. What were disagreements for show last term risk bringing the government to a halt this time around.
Labor will govern in minority - the party holds just 10 out of 25 seats - meaning it will have to fight harder to drive its agenda.The ACT Greens will want to be loud from their new position on the crossbench, a vantage point they believe will be better suited to the party's messages on housing and the environment.
The Canberra Liberals, facing the wreckage of their seventh straight election loss, have a surprise new leader whose leadership has yet to be put to the test in public.
And two independents will be looking to leave their mark. They might not have much of a say on the floor of the Assembly, but they will have plenty of opportunities to draw attention to issues the government would rather the public overlook.
Liberal-Greens? Labor-Liberal?
Expect more strange bedfellows during this Assembly term with a minority government meaning parties might join together to help to defeat or push through bills and motions.
Far more back-room dealing will be required, with Labor desperate to avoid being left red-faced with a defeat on the floor. Chief Minister Andrew Barr hinted at this new reality when he handed over the treasury portfolio to Chris Steel.
However, Labor can probably take solace from the fact the Liberals and the Greens belong to completely different sides of the political spectrum.
No love is lost between the Liberals and the Greens. Liberal leader Leanne Castley cited her predecessor's talks with the Greens following the election as a reason she sought the leadership herself. This prompted ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury to say Ms Castley's attitude was "almost incomprehensible".
But Ms Castley has said she would talk with the Greens on bills and motions, and put forward Integrity Commission resourcing as an area she was open to discussions. This was different to being in government together, she said.
The Greens and the Liberals certainly have one thing in common: a dislike of Labor. The Greens will especially want to show this as they sit on the crossbench. A combined Liberal and Green vote would be 13 of 25 members.
However, Labor and the Liberals could also team up, which would be 19 of 25 members.
Labor and the Liberals have previously joined together when the Greens have pushed for an end to horse racing industry funding. There's little doubt they will do so again when this inevitably comes up for debate.
Independents
Thomas Emerson and Fiona Carrick ended a two-decade drought of independents in the Legislative Assembly when they were sworn in as members.
There was a lot of buzz in the election campaign about the prospect of independents holding the balance of power but that fell flat after the ACT Greens secured four seats and became the Assembly kingmakers.
The Greens' decision to sit on the crossbench will not give that much power to the independents as, in any scenario, they will rarely be the deciding vote in the Assembly.
The only real probability of being the deciding vote would be in a situation where the major parties allow for a conscience vote on a bill or motion but in those cases, anybody could be the deciding vote.
So what does this mean for them?
The number of crossbenchers in the federal House of Representatives is at a record high but they do not hold the balance of power. This means they are not very influential in the parliament but very few watch parliament, and the independents have been able to amplify their influence more broadly.
They have successfully advocated for issues outside of the chamber and captured the media's attention. This is what Carrick and Emerson will have to do if they want to capture the public's eyes.
Of course, part of the teals' influence comes from the future. The major parties are scared of what will happen on polling day next year and whether the teals and other independents can take seats from them.
Come the next ACT election, Labor will have been in power for 27 years and there may be an even greater desire for change. If Carrick and Emerson are being perceived as changemakers outside of the chamber, they might help the case for more independents in the Assembly. Emerson has signed a supply deal with Labor and if he can push through some of his initiatives, this will benefit independents.
But if they are unsuccessful at doing this, the return of independents to the ACT's parliament could be short-lived.
What will be different in the chamber
In the Legislative Assembly, representatives from each party can speak to a bill or motion appearing before the Assembly. This means there are now five parties who can speak to the various bills and motions.
Politically motivated motions might be more prominent with both the Liberals and Greens likely to try and wedge Labor on issues such as horse racing, Palestine or public housing maintenance.
For example, at the start of last term the Greens' Andrew Braddock put forward a motion calling on the government to halt all land sales in the Gungahlin Town Centre. Labor was unhappy about this, especially as the Liberals indicated they would support the motion.
To prevent an early break-up of the government, Mr Braddock agreed to defer the motion so they could come to an agreement. They eventually agreed on a watered-down motion requiring more consultation on land sales.
But the Greens and Labor are no longer in government together. There is a supply deal between the parties but the Greens are less likely to cower this time around.
Question time is likely to be a little more fiery as well. Last term the Greens backbenchers were required to give Labor ministers 48-hours notice of any questions they would ask in the chamber, with this rule gone the Greens will ask tougher questions. And their experience in government means they might know which closets hide the skeletons.
The make-up of parliamentary committees will also be different. These committees conduct inquiries into various government bills, motions and other issues.
In the last Assembly, each committee had one Green, one Labor and one Liberal MLA. This time around they will have to create a new arrangement to accommodate the independents. There are also only two Labor backbenchers who will have to sit across all committees.
Committees can sometimes be used by politicians to push forward certain agendas and this might be more prominent with more parties.
Whether any of this will be the government's undoing is unlikely. The Greens and Emerson have supply deals with Labor so much of the day-to-day business will go through with majority support. But expect a little more fireworks and a little less collegiality.
