He has taken the curtain call to the crossbench.
After controversial MP Craig Kelly made the shock decision to resign from the Liberal Party on Tuesday, pundits were quick to throw around theories about what his next moves may be.
Although Mr Kelly denied he would join another party, many have speculated that instead of staying as an independent the Member for Hughes will find his next political home in The Great Australian Party (GAP).
The party and its anti-vax, pro-conspiracy theory platform could fit nicely with Mr Kelly’s penchant for peddling misinformation about the coronavirus.
And his mate, the infamous chef turned conspiracy theorist Pete Evans, has already signed up to run with GAP at the next election.
GAP was started by former One Nation senator Rod Culleton in 2019 and its policies include the removal of income tax and nationalising the Commonwealth Bank.
Mr Culleton initially sat as a One Nation Senator before becoming an independent following the 2016 election.
He was booted from his position later that year after the Federal Court found him bankrupt.
In 2017 the High Court ruled Mr Culleton was ineligible to run again due to a larceny charge in NSW.
He has since continued to refer to himself as a “senator-in-exile”.
GAP made recent headlines after Evans joined the fray, announcing earlier this month he would run for a Senate position with the party at the next federal election.
GAP has campaigned to have the ‘true’ commonwealth of Australia restored.
The party’s main policies are rooted in the idea that: “The Commonwealth Constitution dictates that you are the ‘supreme, absolute, uncontrollable authority’ in this country. As such, it is now high time to give the power back to the people of this great country.”
They want an overhaul of the judicial system, Australia’s gun laws relaxed, and an end to “forced” medication including vaccination, fluoridated water, and involuntary mental health care.
The micro party fielded 10 candidates in the Senate election in 2019 and received 5355 votes, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.
The obscure party was relatively unknown until Evans joined the fray.
Speaking to an anti-vaccine rally in Sydney on Saturday, the conspiracy theorist said he had never thought about running previously but wanted to give the anti-vax community a voice.
“Some people are activists, some people hold space through meditation. Some people enter into Parliament, which is the last thing I would ever consider, but I’ve been invited to step in as the federal senator for the NSW seat,” Evans told the crowd.
“I will get better, but I will do my best, and hopefully represent all of you to the best of my capacity.”
In announcing Evans’ candidacy, GAP leader Mr Culleton said the disgraced chef had presented an “unwavering commitment” to freedom.
“Pete Evans has maintained his principles and inspired others in the face of uncommon adversity,” the statement read.
“Pete is fully supportive of the GAP ethos, supporting the restoration of the Commonwealth and the preservation of democracy in Australia,” Mr Culleton said.
The New Daily approached GAP to see if the party was interested in recruiting Mr Kelly, but did not receive a response by deadline.
Mr Kelly has become an increasingly controversial figure during the pandemic, becoming a thorn in the side of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government by promoting disproven treatments for the virus over social media.
He was recently banned from posting on Facebook for one week after violating the COVID-19 misinformation policy.
