Senator Gerard Rennick has left the Liberal National Party (LNP) to create his own before the next federal election.
The Queensland senator will form the Gerard Rennick People First Party to raise “bread and butter” issues that he believes need to be debated.
“I’m going to sit in the Senate for who knows how much longer,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday.
“I'd rather use that time to talk about really important issues rather than just play tiddlywinks.”
Rennick said the decision was nothing against Liberal leader Peter Dutton.
The new party will reportedly use Senate processes to introduce inquiries on increasing the tax-free threshold to $40,000, addressing how childcare support is structured and look at a public bank financed by quantitative easing.
“After learning how the Senate works I know a bit about how it works that we can get these inquiries up and going,” he said.
Rennick told the SMH he was not sure if there would be party representation in other states and territories before the next federal election which is due to be called by May 2025.
He said he hopes to begin the party registration process on Monday.
Rennick was taken off the LNP’s federal election ticket in July, raising an appeal that claimed there were “gross irregularities” with the process but the appeal was rejected.
He escalated the complaint to the Supreme Court in Brisbane but it was dismissed in June, with Justice Glenn Martin ruling Rennick had failed to lodge legal action in time.
The decision was upheld by the LNP state council.
On Aug. 22, he claimed that he had lost the ticket due to his stance on COVID-19 vaccines.
Rennick is known for questioning the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and mandates and raising concerns about vaccine injuries since the pandemic.
“I’m happy to lose my position in this party over that, because that’s what representing the Australian people is all about, is putting the people first,” he told the Senate.
