Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has resigned from the Palmer United Party.
She will become an independent.
She apologises for the confusion of the past few days.
"Tasmanians don't want a hand out, they want a fair go and a hand up," she said in the Senate today.
Senator Lambie says she thanks her friends and family for their support.
She wishes Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer "and his beautiful family" all the best.
In her resignation speech, Senator Lambie said she ''must be free to vote in this senate in the best interest of Tasmanians".
In closing, Senator Lambie said: ''I don't have the time or the energy to be drawn into a political muscling contest'', regarding her relationship with party leader Clive Palmer.
I will not be drawn into the game of responding to false and hurtful personal attacks, she said.
"God bless Australia, God bless my Tasmania and our beautiful Southern Cross," Senator Lambie concludes.
Senator Lambie's resignation from the Palmer United Party is effective immediately. She will sit on the cross bench as an independent.
Which has made the government's lot in the Senate that much trickier and diluted the power of Palmer United Party boss Clive Palmer.
Senator Lambie says she will "never vote for the government's proposed changes to higher education and Medicare co payments".
But, she says, there is room to negotiate on the issue of Defence Forces pay. Kind of.
"If Mr Abbott admits his mistake, apologises and allocates the extra $121 million to raise the ADF pay offer to 1.5 per cent as well as Christmas leave and travel entitlements then I feel sure the Australian people will forgive him and he will be viewed as a better leader."
Coalition, Labor and Greens senators were in the chamber to watch Senator Lambie as were Family First Senator Bob Day and independent Senator John Madigan.
Senator Lambie's now former PUP colleagues were not present.
