Bill Stefaniak, the former Liberal opposition leader, says he will run again for a seat in the Legislative Assembly because he could not interest a group of "fairly prominent" Canberrans to put their hands up.
Mr Stefaniak, who will run for the Belco Party in Ginninderra, said he still had politics in his blood and there was still lots to do in the territory's parliament.
"And I don't particularly care if I get in or not. In many ways, I would prefer one of my colleagues to get in, and I'd simply help them. But obviously, when you decide to put your hat in the ring, you have to be prepared," Mr Stefaniak told The Canberra Times.
"You obviously do so on the basis that if you're elected, you do the very best you can for your community. I've done that before. I've got a good track record. I've certainly got experience and if for some reason I was lucky to jag it, I think I'd be the only [crossbench] member who's had any experience in government and any experience as a minister."
Mr Stefaniak had earlier ruled out running again for the Assembly after unsuccessfully contesting Ginninderra for the Belco Party at the 2020 election.
But after efforts to encourage others to run for the party had failed, Mr Stefaniak decided to stand again. Mr Stefaniak was elected to the first Assembly in 1989 and completed two separate terms, leaving at the 2008 election.
Policy priorities for the Belco Party include indefinitely suspending work on extending light rail from Commonwealth Park, redirecting the money to the hospital system and the territory's police force.
"If you spent that [light rail] money on the hospitals, you could build up a decent health system again. Crucially important, we need 250 extra police, at least just to get us to a national average. There are so many jobs the police don't go to. I mean, when did you last see a breathalyser?" he said.
The Belco Party took 9.4 per cent of the vote in Ginninderra in 2020, with Mr Stefaniak collecting 4 per cent, or 2213 first-preference ballots.
The party took votes away from the Canberra Liberals, with 47 per cent of the votes for the minor party contender exhausting and not contributing, through preferences, to the Liberal candidates. It was a strategy that deeply frustrated many in the Liberal party.
"I can understand that point of view, except the Liberals are not going to be able to get government on their own. So, I think they've got to work with independents," Mr Stefaniak said, touting his own party's ability to work with the Liberals.
Mr Stefaniak said he had had conversations with the Liberals but it was presumptuous to make any plans about how the parties could govern together.
"It's a bit like having a photo taken as premiers before the grand final. But I've had a couple of conversations with Elizabeth [Lee, the Liberal leader] and several other Liberals, including the organisational wing," he said.
The Belco Party will run three candidates in Ginninderra and Yerrabi, which means the party's preferences are more likely to flow to other candidates.
Jason Taylor, a former ACT police officer, is the party's lead candidate in Yerrabi, while Alan Tutt, the former chairman of the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club, is also standing for the party.
"We're certainly encouraging people: don't vote Green, don't vote Labor. Or if you feel you have to, don't vote for the current members. We'd be encouraging people to vote for us first," Mr Stefaniak said.
