New parliament sits September 28

AAP

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THE new federal parliament will sit for the first time on Tuesday September 28.

It will be the first time in 70 years that a government will not have an absolute majority in the lower house.

Labor has 72 of the chamber's 150 seats and needs the support of at least four crossbenchers to have its legislation approved by the lower house.

It has won support for minority government from an Australian Greens MP and three independents.

The parliament will sit for three days in its first week.

Another four weeks of sittings are planned before the end of the year.

Asked if recalling parliament in less than three weeks was a rush, cabinet minister Simon Crean said the sitting weeks already were scheduled.

"It is important that the parliament goes back," he told reporters in Canberra, adding it was the "fragility of the circumstances".

"I think it's very important we demonstrate that not only have we formed a government, but that we are implementing the new paradigm."