“The Australian Sports Party is focused on helping Australians live a healthy well-balanced lifestyle through sport and recreation, which provides enjoyment and creates strong communities.”

It may well bring that focus to the Senate — the party’s secretary Wayne Dropulich, a former gridiron representative player, currently sits in fifth position in counting for Western Australia’s upper house representation, according to an ABC vote count (the top six get over the line in each state).

On its website, the party lists its objectives as:

  • Promote a healthy well-balanced lifestyle;
  • Educate and motivate Australians to live healthy lifestyle;
  • Increase sporting participation;
  • Increase childhood health with grassroots sport participation via school curriculum;
  • Maximise free use of government-controlled facilities such as parks, reserves, public leisure centres and recreation programs;
  • Create stronger communities;
  • Support Australia’s sporting culture.

What about the Australian Motoring Enthusiasts Party? Its candidate, Ricky Muir, is a shot at a Senate seat in Victoria. As its website states:

“The decision to form our own political party was not taken lightly, and was initiated after the unity demonstrated by the motoring community following recent moves by the governments of nearly every state in Australia to enact legislation that affects our lifestyle without consultation with our community.

“With the realisation that the rights and civil liberties of every-day Australians are being eroded at an ever increasing rate, the party aims to bring focus back to the notion that the government is there for the people; not, as it increasingly appears, the other way around.”

As for the Liberal Democratic Party — its New South Wales candidate David Leyonhjelm is fifth in the count at present — the website says simply “this account has been suspended”.

Picking Senate winners the day after an election is a mug’s game. Only 60% of votes have been counted, and that’s only above-the-line. Final results won’t be known for some time; take it all with a grain of salt.

But what is clear is the Coalition could well have wildcard MPs to deal with in the upper house. A complex web of preference deals and a slew of microparties is likely to deliver results nobody saw coming. The Coalition won’t command a Senate majority in its own right, so will have to deal with some of these minor players to get legislation through.

A big winner from last night is Clive Palmer’s Palmer United Party. Not only is the man himself probably off to Parliament, winning the seat of Fairfax from the Liberals, but Queensland Senate candidate Greg Lazarus along with Jacqui Lambie in Tasmania could join him in Canberra. PUP scored 5.6% of the national vote.

Family First could also return to the Senate, with Bob Day sitting at fifth position in South Australia.

Liberal powerbroker Arthur Sinodinos is hanging onto his NSW seat in current counting, while the Greens’ Scott Ludlam has a fight on his hands to retain his WA seat.