Once they had dispensed with discussion about the main political leaders, Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten - about whom participants were universally scathing - talk turned to the attractions of other politicians.

In an echo of attitudes that have produced Donald Trump as US president and a win to the supporters of Brexit in Britain, the politicians who were most enthusiastically nominated were thought to sit outside the established political class.

Hinch, who was known during his long media career as "the human headline", was mentioned by participants in all four focus groups - two in Sydney, two in Melbourne - as a politician who stood by his beliefs.

"You know he isn't scared," said one.

Another compared Hinch's willingness to speak his mind with that of Pauline Hanson, who also received several approving mentions, usually with qualifiers along the lines of "I mightn't agree with her, but you know what she stands for."

"Hinch, he stood up for what he believed in and he went to jail for it. Like Hanson, you don't have to agree, but that's fine," said a Melbourne participant.

Former Liberal and now Conservative senator Cory Bernardi got a couple of mentions along the same lines within wider discussions about US President Donald Trump, who had a sprinkling of admirers because he was "different" from other politicians and said what he thought. According to one young woman from Melbourne, "you mightn't like what [Trump] has done, but he's done stuff".

Of Bernardi, a young woman who identified as a former Liberal voter said, "I know I'm not supposed to like him, but I do."

A Melbourne man who said he'd changed his vote from Labor mentioned both Hinch and Bernardi as preferable to the mainstream: "That's why I voted for Hinch, he gets it, he uses media well, he relates with people, he's not scared to say his views and he stands by them. Corey Bernardi isn't my cup of tea, but he puts his views out there, too."

South Australia's Nick Xenophon was seen both in Sydney and Melbourne as an effective negotiator and a voice for his home state.

"Very South Australia focussed," said one. "Thanks to him we have those submarines."

Only two participants - young Melburnians who voted Liberal at the last election - suggested an alternative to Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister. Both nominated Liberal deputy Julie Bishop, and one said she "has fire in her".

The only name raised as a possible alternative leader to Shorten was that of Anthony Albanese. A single participant - a former Labor voter - mentioned Albanese's name, but did not expand on his reasons.

However, Labor's Sam Dastyari received several positive mentions from western Sydney voters as the sort of politician who was attractive. He was of an immigrant family, from modest beginnings, who worked hard and stood out, three participants agreed.

The news wasn't good for Greens leader Richard di Natale.

No one who took part in the focus groups knew his name. One young bloke from Sydney's western suburbs who voted Labor at the last election, and is thinking of changing next time, perhaps to the Greens, got closest. He stared at the ceiling for a while before snapping his fingers and declaring, "He's got an Italian name and he wears glasses."

A middle-aged man from western Sydney who immigrated from the Philippines 38 years ago and a young Sydney woman born in India but of Middle Eastern background, neither of them Trump fans, found a morality tale in the US President's elevation. Both declared it had made them aware of the importance of their own votes.

"Fifty one percent of Americans didn't vote, they ended up with Trump and I now see that my vote is worth something," said the young woman.

"I never thought about politics when I was younger," said the Filipino immigrant. "But now I'm thinking my one vote might make a difference. Look what happened in America."

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