Mr Hornshaw contested the 2022 election for Lyne for his party under its former name of Liberal Democrats, securing 6.4 percent of the vote.

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A sitting Port Macquarie-Hastings councillor, Mr Hornshaw flagged a potential federal run ahead of council elections last year.

He told NOTA he wishes to send a “strong message to the major parties that they need to do better”.

“Labor deserves to lose, but coalition parties don’t deserve to win in their present state,” he said.

“Instead of rejecting the environmentally and economically destructive net-zero agenda, the coalition plays along.

“Instead of opposing censorship, spying, digital ID, and ‘hate speech’ laws, they support these Big Brother impositions.

“The biggest contributor to the rising cost of living is the cost of government, yet instead of cutting taxes and waste, they accept the status quo.”

Mr Hornshaw said the Libertarians want to dramatically reduce taxes, and increase the tax-free threshold to $50,000 for individuals and $100,000 combined income for couples.

“We oppose digital ID, censorship, “misinformation” laws and social media bans,” he said.

“And we oppose the destructive bipartisan agenda of net-zero.”

The Libertarians garnered considerable local support in the 2024 council elections, securing around 16 percent of the primary vote in Port Macquarie-Hastings and around 23 percent in MidCoast Council.

MidCoast councillor Mark Graham, who also represents the Libertarians, said Mr Hornshaw would make “an excellent federal member for Lyne”.

“Mark’s election campaign in 2022, which took a principled stand against lockdowns, mandates and government overreach is what inspired many of us to join the Libertarian Party.

The Libertarians have become a strong force in the area, with an amazing level of grassroots support.”

Mr Hornshaw is an economist with 15 years of university teaching experience in economics, management and entrepreneurship.

Prior to that he operated businesses in the telecommunications and foodservice industries.

He has also served as president of a state sporting organisation, board member of an overseas aid charity, and Federal Policy Chair for the Libertarian Party.