Independent senator Nick Xenophon hopes his new political party will improve the "toxic partisan disconnect" between politicians and voters.
Senator Xenophon hopes the Nick Xenophon Team, or NXT, will represent the "sensible centre of politics" and attract strong candidates with bold ideas from across the country.
He said most Australians were increasingly disillusioned with their political representatives and it was time another voice offered an alternative.
"I'm hoping that we can press the reset button in the new year, that the tone of the place will improve and that we can actually work on solving the nation's problems," he told ABC TV on Sunday.
"At the moment there is such a toxic partisan disconnect."
The senator believed a strong NXT candidate in a marginal seat in the House of Representatives would keep the two major parties on their toes.
Too often crucial issues like poker machine reform and the impact of free trade deals on Australian jobs were overlooked by both Labor and the coalition, he added.
He'll be vetting candidates across the country and is open to working with independents who don't even want to join his team.
Share
