Welcome to "pollie school", where fledgling politicians learn the rules and rhythm of parliament.

The 27 new members of the House of Representatives began a crash-course in how the legislature works on Tuesday, ahead of the opening of the 46th parliament next week..

The class of 2019 includes new Canberra MP Alicia Payne and former ACT senator David Smith, who went through a much shorter induction when he filled the casual vacancy created by Katy Gallagher's departure last year.

It also included Zali Steggell and Helen Haines, the sole independents among the new cohort.

They join an elite group. Just 1203 members have been elected to the House of Representatives in the last 118 years.

And they face a steep learning curve.

The standing orders for the House run to 160 pages, and govern everything from what they can ask ministers and when - "questioners must not ask the minister for an expression of opinion, including a legal opinion" - to how they use their mobile phones - "phone calls are not permitted and devices should be operated in silent mode".

Longer-serving members wield these rules like weapons. One new MP joked she would be keeping a copy of standing orders on her bedside table.

However David Elder, who is the clerk of the House of Representatives, said the seminars on Tuesday covered more basic rules to get them through the first few weeks. More in-depth sessions will be run as lunchtime sessions over the coming weeks.

"It's things like etiquette issues in the chamber, acknowledging the chair when addressing the House,directing remarks through the chair, addressing members by their parliamentary titles rather than their names, and courtesy and civility during debates and discussions," Mr Elder said.

Mr Elder has been clerk of the house for less than six years, but has worked at Parliament House for nearly 40 years.

He's seen a lot of members come and go in that time but the questions are usually the same - "how do I find my office", "when's my first speech" and more recently, "where do I get my computer".

"We don't get detailed questions about procedure at this stage," Mr Elder said.

"In my experience they're here for nearly two days and they get quite overwhelmed in that time. By the time they leave their brains will be stuffed full of so much material."

While some of the rules were a bit "obscure", Mr Elder said most politicians were concerned first and foremost with how long they had to speak (which depends on what they're speaking on and when, and can range from 30 seconds to no time limit).

"Some of the basic things are the most important. The fundamental thing is what they contribute as a parliamentarian - the rules are there to facilitate them to do that," Mr Elder said.

"Knowing the rules can place you in a good position, not a huge number know the rules extremely well."

But it's "good to see them bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for a little while", Mr Elder said.

"Each group have their own characteristics but they'll always be the class of 2019. Some no doubt will go onto very big things, others might be with us for a couple of terms," he said.