Northern Territory senator Sam McMahon has resigned from the Country Liberal Party, a spokesman has confirmed, ending a 30-year connection.
The CLP traditionally sit in the Nationals party room in Canberra, meaning the Morrison Coalition government will lose a sitting senator to the crossbench.
Senator McMahon will continue to stay in the Senate as an independent, it is understood.
While she confirmed this week that she had been in conversations with minor parties including the Liberal Democrats about her future at the end of this term of parliament, there's been no confirmation that she will sit with any party.
Senator McMahon, a veterinarian from Katherine, lost a fierce preselection battle for the seat last year, to former Alice Springs deputy mayor Jacinta Price.
She was dumped by the CLP from the NT senate ticket at the next election, in spite of public comments of support at the time by Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce.
Senator McMahon told the ABC this week that she had "no intentions" of running at the next election, but that "a day is a long time in politics and you never know what the future holds".
Her rejection of the party comes at a time when the CLP will try to claw back two house of representatives seats in the NT at the next election, both currently held by Labor.
In the NT government, where the CLP currently hold Opposition status, deputy CLP leader Gerard Maley this week said Senator McMahon's future was her business, and that any defection by the sitting senator would not act as a distraction to the party.
"Senator McMahon can do what she likes," Mr Maley said.
Senator McMahon's move leaves the NT with no sitting member in the Coalition government.
CLP president Jamie De Brenni has been approached for comment.
