Former senator Nick Xenophon believes the political climate is right for the return of centrist candidates, following the announcement he is making a fresh tilt for the upper house.
Almost five years after he resigned from the Senate after uncertainty over whether he was a dual citizen, Mr Xenophon says he will stand at the next federal election, due to be held in May.
"I've tried being a political hermit, I did that for four years and didn't work out ... the culture in Canberra has gotten worse, it's more toxic," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"I like to think that from a political centre, I can make a positive contribution."
Mr Xenophon said he held off from announcing his intention to make a political comeback until after South Australia's state election so as not to confuse voters.
The former senator previously ran for state parliament in 2018 with his SA Best Party, but failed to win a single seat.
He said last weekend's defeat of the Liberal government after one term was telling.
"It was defining in the sense that the Liberals ran a woeful campaign. I think there is space there in the political centre to represent people to advocate for them on issues that the major parties had ignored," he said.
"It would have been unwise to be talking about making a comeback to the Senate in the context of a state election campaign, I think it'd have been just too confusing."
Mr Xenophon will be up against two of his former advisers, senators Stirling Griff and Rex Patrick.
However, Senator Patrick is set to make an announcement on Friday regarding his political intentions.
"Clearly Nick Xenophon's decision to throw his hat into the SA Senate changes the landscape," he said in a statement on Thursday.
"I have worked for Nick as an adviser and I have great respect for him as a politician. He can again be a fine representative of our great state."
Mr Xenophon said he would not seek to be an alternative government but to give oversight to issues.
"My role is to be a watchdog and an advocate to give a damn about issues to highlight, to actually build a bridge between the political parties," he said.
