Millionaire entrepreneur Dick Smith could make a bid for the Liberal safe seat of Mackellar

Millionaire entrepreneur Dick Smith is considering launching a bid to enter federal parliament at the next election for the seat of Mackellar — one of the Liberal Party’s safest seats held by MP Jason ­Falinski and Bronwyn Bishop before him.

• Dick Smith calls for a curb on immigration
• Poll shows Dick Smith would beat Bronwyn Bishop

Millionaire entrepreneur Dick Smith says he’s considering launching a bid to enter federal parliament at the next election in one of the Liberal Party’s safest seats as an independent.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, the buy-Australia campaigner said he had already warned Liberal MP Jason ­Falinski that he may run against him in the blue-ribbon Sydney seat of Mackellar, formerly held by Bronwyn Bishop.

“I am considering standing in my local seat of Mackellar at the next election,” the 74-year-old said.

“I believe I am too old to be standing for parliament. We need new young people, however it looks as if the young people coming up in the major parties are just not game to show the necessary leadership that we need.”

Dick Smith has already campaigned on immigration and now will release a video on Wednesday on energy and coal. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Ahead of his potential bid, Smith, a former Australian of the Year, will release a video calling for a plebiscite on energy policy, where he campaigns for reliable energy and the truth to be told about the real cost of renewables.

The colourful entrepreneur was also the first to campaign on lowering the immigration rate, taking out ads in the media.

Smith had toyed with the idea of running at the last election but chose not to stand against Ms Bishop.

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Liberal MP for Mackellar Jason Falinski in the House of Representatives. Picture: Kym Smith

Former speaker and member for Mackellar Bronwyn Bishop. Picture: Getty

Despite the recent success of independent Kerryn Phelps in the safe Liberal seat of Wentworth, which had an 18 per cent margin, Smith said his chance of beating the party at the federal election was slim.

Despite Kerryn Phelps’ success in the safe Liberal seat of Wentworth, Mr Smith says his chances of winning Mackellar are slim. Picture: Gary Ramage

Mackellar is one of the safest Liberal seats with a 15 per cent margin.

However, a MediaReach poll ahead of the 2016 federal election claimed Smith would win the seat against Bishop in a landslide.

In the video to be released on Wednesday, Smith attacks the ­inability of politicians to speak frankly and honestly.

He impersonates the Prime Minister and says “It’s the speech Scott Morrison wanted to give but couldn’t”.

“This is the lump of coal I showed in parliament a while ago,” he says in the video.

“It’s the reason we have had five prime ministers in the past 10 years.

“Nothing will ever be as cheap as coal. So we have a real problem and it is not going to be solved by changing prime ministers — or even political parties.”

Smith proposes a plebiscite to ask the young people of Australia whether they ­accept the need to stop burning fossil fuels.

He would like Atlassian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and conservationist Bindi Irwin to run the ‘yes’ case and Sky host Peta Credlin and Maurice Newman to lead the ‘no’ case.

“The fibs and delusions are great. For example, the Canberra government ann­ounced that their electricity will be 100 per cent renewable by 2020,” he said.

“This is a lie. It could be done but the cost of storage required would make the power prohibitive.”