Arriving in Australia nearly two decades ago, newly elected South Australian senator Lucy Gichuhi says she could not have imagined she would one day serve the nation in the Senate.
But the Kenyan-born lawyer says she is honoured to do so as a member of Family First, filling the vacancy created after former senator for the party Bob Day was ruled ineligible to be elected last year.
Speaking publicly for the first time after the High Court officially declared her election on Wednesday, the new senator promised she would bring a "conciliatory" attitude to the job.
"I acknowledge as a common Australian, there are times I have perceived our politics as polarised," Ms Gichuhi told reporters in Adelaide.
"I do not necessarily feel that this is about Labor, Liberal, or any other political party.
"My promise to South Australians and all Australians is that I'm going to bring an attitude of conciliatory politics - if there's anything like that."
Flanked by her husband William and her daughters, Ms Gichuhi said she appreciated that people wanted to know her view on every issue but she said her policy positions will be formed as she gathers advice.
"While my values will never change, my approach to matters before the Senate will be to take the best possible advice from all corners before finalising a particular position," she said.
"I look forward to consulting with the government, the opposition and the Senate crossbench as I move towards playing an active and effective role in parliament."
Ms Gichuhi made just a brief statement and refused to answer any media questions after she spoke on the steps of South Australia's parliament.
The High Court, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns on Wednesday, formally declared Ms Gichuhi a senator after considering the results of a recount of votes last week by the Australian Electoral Commission.
Labor lost a last-minute bid to have the declaration delayed so it could argue issues about Ms Gichuhi's Australian citizenship that meant she was not eligible for the role.
She became an Australian citizen in July 2001 after migrating from Kenya in 1999.
The court said the challenge from former Labor senator Anne McEwen came too late and that issues about Ms Gichuhi's citizenship had been referred to the court during hearings over the past three months.
"There has been nothing at all since at least January of this year precluding Ms McEwen from forming the basis of her application or from assembling expert material with which to support it," Justice Geoffrey Nettle said.
It is understood Labor believes it now has no practical option for continuing the legal challenge.
Earlier this month, the court ruled Mr Day was ineligible to have been elected in 2016 because he had indirectly benefited from a government lease arrangement on his Adelaide electorate office.
Mr Day had already formally resigned from the role in November last year to deal with the collapse of his Home Australia group of companies.
