Clive Palmer and Cathy McGowan may be relative strangers, but they are about to get to know each other really well.
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The new seating plan for the House of Representatives, released on Thursday afternoon, shows the newly elected members for Fairfax and Indi will be bench buddies when Parliament resumes next week.
Mr Palmer told Fairfax Media the seating arrangement was OK with him.
"I'm happy to sit wherever," he said.
"Where we sit is not important, it's what we do."
Ms McGowan's office was upbeat about the news on Twitter.
"Exciting news this afternoon with Cathy finding out she will be seated next to Clive Palmer in the House!"
The new seating plan - which shows a noticeably empty Labor side of the house - sets out the official seating positions for the 44th Parliament.
Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan, who will return to Canberra as humble backbenchers, have been seated at a discreet distance apart, at the back of the Labor backbench.
Newly elected Liberal MP for Dobell, Karen McNamara, and returning Northern Territory MP Natasha Griggs get the prime "noddy" positions for the government - with seats in the second row, right behind the despatch box - ensuring the camera will focus on their reactions every time a frontbencher addresses the house.
On the Labor side, the noddy honour goes to Parramatta MP Julie Owens and Matt Thistlethwaite - the former NSW senator who will join the lower house in Peter Garrett's old seat.
The seating plan is released by the House of Representatives officials, but comes after negotiations with both the government and opposition whips, leader of the house Christopher Pyne and manager of opposition business Tony Burke.
But we can expect one small change when the House finally sits next Tuesday for the first time.
Until Bronwyn Bishop is officially appointed Speaker next week (as is widely predicted), she will have to make do with a mere backbench spot.
