Doubt has been cast on whether Cory Bernardi will seek to sit as a Liberal in the Senate having decided to deregister his Australian Conservatives party.
The South Australian senator is open to returning to the Liberal Party, but is yet to speak with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
But fellow South Australian, Barker MP Tony Pasin, doesn't think such a move is on the cards.
"I don't think Cory will be looking to re-join the Liberal Party," he told Sky News on Friday.
"It wouldn't be a problem in my view, but I don't think Cory is about to do that."
In either case, the Liberal Party will reap an extra seat in the upper house if the Senator bows out of politics before his term expires in mid-2022.
The Liberals would have the right to fill the casual vacancy that would create as he was elected under the party's banner.
The Senator confirmed to ABC Radio Adelaide he is yet to commit to rejoining the Liberals.
Senator Cory Bernardi speaks during debate in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, August 20, 2018. Source: AAP
"That's not something I've canvassed, I've noticed media speculation, but I've publicly stated I want to support the Morrison government as strongly as I can because I think the policy outcomes for Australia are critical at this juncture," he said.
But he admitted that "everything changed" when the Liberal party dumped Malcolm Turnbull.
"We saw the people in our supporter base, our members, gravitate back to the Coalition," he said.
Senator Bernardi announced on Thursday he would be deregistering the Australian Conservatives after being disappointed in its election result.
Senator Bernardi left the Liberals in February 2017 to begin his own party, and says his supporters flocked back to the Liberals when Mr Morrison took the top job.
The South Australian said his supporters had breathed a "sigh of relief" when Mr Morrison - a "man of faith and values" became prime minister.
Former Australian Christian Lobby chief Lyle Shelton, who ran on the Australian Conservatives' Senate ticket in Queensland, says he has no regrets about joining the movement.
Australian Senator Cory Bernardi waits to announce his defection from the Liberal Party at Parliament House in Canberra. Source: AAP
"I'm sure that the existence of Australian Conservatives played into the minds of those in the Liberal Party who were worried that they were heading to electoral oblivion," he told Sky News.
"It contributed to the change in direction of the Liberal Party, and that's good for the nation and we've played a part in helping steer the nation back."
Labor is meanwhile wondering what Senator Bernardi's decision says about the government.
"Cory Bernardi confirms the Liberals are now an extreme right wing outfit," Labor MP Brian Mitchell tweeted.
Mr Morrison will have a guaranteed 36 votes in the upper house if Senator Bernardi re-joins the Liberals, meaning he will only need the support of three crossbenchers to pass legislation.
Cory Bernardi (left) of the Australian Conservatives party and Lyle Shelton, who joined his party during an official announcement in Toowoomba. Source: AAP
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