Muir listed as govt whip in the Senate

Rock band Devo sang that when a problem comes along, you must whip it.

The Abbott government might be taking that approach to a new Senate crossbencher.

Ricky Muir, the new senator for the Motoring Enthusiast Party, was accidentally listed on the Australian government directory website as the chief government whip in the Senate.

Senator Muir, who has formed an alliance with the Palmer United Party, will take his seat in the upper house next Monday.

In order to get its legislation through the Senate, the government will need six votes from the eight-member crossbench, Labor or the Australian Greens on top of its own 33 members.

It faces an uphill battle to get enough support for controversial elements of its budget.

The whip's role is to maintain party discipline and manage legislative business.

The error has now been rectified.