Senator David Pocock has refused to rule out a pivot to the lower house as independents eye a possible political party to rival the rise of One Nation.
The former Brumbies Super Rugby player became one of Australia’s most outspoken senators when he joined parliament in 2022 and has, in recent months, campaigned on introducing a 25 per cent gas export tax and to pressure the government to act on gambling reforms.
Asked whether like-minded independents should be forming a party, Senator Pocock said that was “a big question in the current political climate”.
“As an independent, how do you be part of changing our country for the better?” he told the ABC.
“For me, at the moment, that is serving people in the ACT, engaging on each issue, bringing solutions, using whatever power I have in the Senate to actually work on behalf of the people that have sent me there.
“As to what that looks like in the future, who knows.
“I think we’re in a real time of flux politically, and there’s people actually looking for candidates who are going to come to Canberra and actually put them first, put them ahead of vested interests.’
Senator Pocock said there were “plenty of conversations going on all the time” when asked about a potential party, stating that he was “always happy to chat about the future of our country”.
As for his own future, Senator Pocock said in the Senate currently there was “plenty to do and there’s really good opportunities there”.
Pressed on a potential pivot to the lower house, he said “well, I don’t know why you’d rule something out”.
He added: “But, certainly at the moment, I’m committed to doing what I’m doing, and my hope is that there’ll be really great candidates.”
Senator Pocock pushed back against the importance of “personality and being able to make great speeches”.
“It’s actually about getting in there and doing the hard work, and what I’ve seen is community independents being able to do that,” he said.
Speaking on the rise of One Nation – which, according to polling on Saturday, could clinch as many as 59 seats if the next election was held today – Senator Pocock said issues such as gas and gambling were “symptoms of this problem where we haven’t had political parties willing to actually engage in good faith on big challenges that we’re facing”.
“We have no plan when it comes to immigration and population, no long term plan,” he said.
“We’ve got no plan when it comes to housing and homelessness.
“No wonder we’re lurching from crisis to crisis, where everything is about three-year election cycles, rather than saying, ‘Okay, what’s good for us for the next ten years, for the next 20 years’?
“What I’ve seen is major parties who aren’t willing to engage in that, in that debate.”
