Nick Xenophon has announced he will attempt a political comeback, five years after he sensationally quit for an unsuccessful switch to state politics.
Mr Xenophon represented South Australia in the Senate from 2007 to 2017.
In a video posted on Thursday, Mr Xenophon said he could no longer sit on the sidelines.
“For the last four years I've tried to be a political hermit, minding my own business and leaving it up to others to be involved in the political decisions that ultimately affect our lives, and those of our loved ones,” he said.
“I can no longer sit on the sidelines. Incredibly, it's gotten worse in Canberra. It’s nastier, full of hatred and bile that eats away at our nation’s core.
“So many of them are too busy doing a job on each other, rather than doing a job we’re paying for.
“I must come back, to call them out and to speak out on the issues that have to be tackled.”
He confirmed he will run as an independent rather than the federal party he created, Centre Alliance, or the state brand – SA-BEST.
Centre Alliance is currently represented in the federal parliament by lower house MP Rebekha Sharkie and Senator Stirling Griff.
The announcement is likely to spark concerns in the office of independent Senator and Xenophon staffer Rex Patrick, who was speculated to be considering a lower house run if his former boss was to make a comeback.
In a statement Senator Patrick said Mr Xenophon’s decision changed “the landscape” and he would announce his plans on Friday.
“I have worked for Nick as an adviser and I have great respect for him as a politician. He can again be a fine representative of our great State,” he said.
Senator Patrick had previously said he would be seeking re-election in the upper house.
It has been widely speculated he would consider a tilt at the lower house seat of Grey, currently held by Liberal Rowan Ramsey, if his former boss were to run.
It follows Mr Xenophon’s bid to enter state politics during the 2018 South Australian election.
Despite leading opinion polls until a fortnight before the vote, he failed to capture enough votes to be elected.
He has since headed a suburban law practice – where he led, and lost, a trademark case in the US about Ugg boots.
