While he has not ruled it out, he repeated his stance that state politics was "paramount" to him.

"There has been plenty of people offering advice," he said. "It's not a decision I'm going to rush into."

Mr Whiteley, who lost his seat in the state election following the success of fellow Liberal Adam Brooks and the Greens' Paul O'Halloran, said the calls and encouragement were "flattering" but he would make his decision based on what was right for him and his family.

Incumbent Braddon Labor MHR Sid Sidebottom holds the seat with a 2.6 per cent margin but polled fewer primary votes than his Liberal opponent, Mark Baker, in 2007.

That margin is less than the national swing against the Liberals in 2007, and senior Liberal figures confirmed yesterday that they believed they had the ammunition to run a successful campaign in the marginal seat.

The area has also seen significant job losses, which would offer a platform for candidates to attack from.

Mr Whiteley was named as one of those the Liberal Party was considering for preselection, along with Penguin farmer and footballing identity Gary Carpenter.

Mr Whiteley said his loss at the state election was "not expected or welcome" but he considered it an interruption in his political career, rather than the end of it.

He was "very interested" in what was happening in Hobart between Labor and the Greens, and believed both parties had been given a reality check by their supporter bases.

"People are saying `we voted for change'," he said.

Mr Whiteley said that that while Premier David Bartlett could "act like Moses and go up the mountain" with Greens leader Nick McKim, they weren't taking their electorates with them.

He praised Liberal leader Will Hodgman for standing by his pre- election commitments.

"People are saying `at least your bloke has stuck to what he said he would'," Mr Whiteley said.