Mr Taber, who opened his campaign office in Armidale yesterday, reaffirmed his March stance that he would not be sharing preferences with fellow candidate and former MP Tony Windsor. 

In March Mr Windsor said: “I’d vote for him if he voted for me” of Mr Taber, but yesterday the Armidale resident ruled out any deals. 

“I definitely won’t be allocating preferences,” Mr Taber said. 

“That’s the way a true independent should operate.”

Yesterday’s opening was attended by an ABC film crew, recording footage for a forthcoming episode of Four Corners. 

When asked if he was daunted by his opposition,  namely Mr Windsor and incumbent deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, Mr Taber was unfazed. 

“I’m just going to go out there and do my job to the best of my ability,” he said. 

“At the end of day, we believe we are a third force in this race – and we’re proving that already. 

“I just think it’s up for grabs, I don’t think it’s an open and closed gate at all.

“We can be a third force and I think people are starting to take notice of that.” Mr Taber, who has been running his solar power business in Armidale for 18 years, said his key focus for the city was job creation. 

“The biggest issue facing Armidale is the economy of Armidale, which leads into jobs,” he said.

“That leads into semi-skilled and unskilled jobs, which we have a massive lack of. 

“Armidale has only increased by a population of nine people in 12 months and that’s pathetic, so we’ve got to turn that around.”

Other issues Mr Taber plans on tackling is climate change and agriculture. 

Mr Taber said his decision to run in the forthcoming federal election was made after the last election.

“We actually won Armidale [at] 54 per cent two-party preferred and to be honest that blew me away,” he said.

“I just knew the support was there.”