What happens when a former soldier from Tasmania arrives in Canberra with a potentially vital role to play in governing the nation?

Jacqui Lambie is the most outspoken and controversial of Clive Palmer's 'Palmer United Party' senators who hold crucial balance of power votes in the senate.

Australian Story has been 'embedded' with Jacqui Lambie as she learns the ropes in parliament and navigates a series of headline-grabbing dramas.

We meet her family back in Burnie, Tasmania and track her through Canberra as she deals with everything from deciding what to wear to meet a PM she's just described as a 'political psychopath', to outrage over her 'well hung' and 'Chinese invasion' moments.

She also talks candidly about being a single mother, her addictions, despair and her propensity to 'take a swing at opponents'.

Her headline-grabbing antics are making news but seasoned commentators suggest she should not be underestimated. So what are her real motives and what about her vulnerabilities?