Nick Xenophon says his SA-BEST party can still hold South Australia's new Liberal government to account after winning at least two upper house seats.
Mr Xenophon says the party's failure to elect any lower house MPs, including himself, is his fault and was the result of its resources being spread too thin and the "dirty" campaign waged against it.
He plans to still have a role in politics in some way but has ruled out having one of his two successful candidates stand down to allow him to their seat.
He's also ruled out an immediate return to federal politics and says he won't take a job as a paid staffer.
"I think for me I'll be citizen X for quite a while," he said.
"What I have planned is to get eight hours sleep."
But the former senator has not completely ruled out making a return at some stage, including a possible second tilt at winning his local seat of Hartley.
In the next SA parliament, he said his new upper house MPs Connie Bonaros and Frank Pangallo would do a great job.
"They'll be able to fight for the over 200,000 South Australians that have voted for SA-BEST in the upper house," he said.
"Connie and Frank will be in the Legislative Council for the next eight years fighting day in and day out on a whole range of issues to ensure the government is truly accountable to the people of South Australia.
"To put up a fight for those South Australians who don't have a voice."
Mr Xenophon said he was also still considering taking legal action against Premier-elect Steven Marshall over his claims SA-BEST had "done a deal" with Labor to beat the Liberals during the election campaign.
"That's something I''ll need to think about, what I do with that, in the coming days," he said.
"That was a lie, always was a lie."
