South Australian senator Nick Xenophon says Cory Bernardi is in for a shock if he leaves the Liberal Party to sit on the crossbench.

Senator Bernardi is yet to confirm he will leave the party, but Senator Xenophon says the workload for independents and minor parties is much more than he would be used to, having always had the backing of the Liberal Party.

"You're working seemingly 24/7 and you are always doing your very best to keep up, not just with helping out constituents and dealing with issues, but with the myriad of legislation that hits the Senate," Senator Xenophon told ABC's The World Today.

"I have no doubt that Cory Bernardi has been very busy as a Liberal Party senator, but he ain't seen nothing yet if he decides to join the crossbenchers.

"He would need to have a lot of resources and a lot of backing to make it work, but it's up to him."

Senator Xenophon says if Senator Bernardi makes the move, it will be a serious disruption for Malcolm Turnbull's Government.

"It will change the dynamics of the Senate, it will be a huge headache for the Government, it will be huge electoral fodder for the Opposition, and it will be very much a new ballgame in Australian politics," he said.

"He's still in the Senate for another five-and-a-half years, so he can be here for quite a while and probably cause a lot of headaches for the Government and give a lot of fodder to the Opposition."

Game-changer if Bernardi can spark Lower House rebellion

Senator Xenophon believes Senator Bernardi's move will have more impact if he's able to convince Coalition colleagues in the House of Representatives to join his team.

The Government currently only has 76 seats in the 150-seat Lower House of Parliament.

Nick Xenophon says Cory Bernardi's potential defection could make things interesting if it attracts lower-house rebellion. ( AAP: Mick Tsikas )

"It will be obviously manifestly more significant in a very tight Lower House if the Government loses a couple of its own to this new political party if it's set up, then that itself could well mean that we're headed to the polls much sooner than we thought," Senator Xenophon said.

He also said he was still not entirely convinced the Bernardi breakaway would happen.

"At this stage I'll believe it when I see it," he said.

"I wonder whether we're being subjected to a great, big tease by Senator Bernardi, but let's wait and see."

He said he was willing to work with Senator Bernardi if he came to the crossbench.

"I know him quite well because we've been Senate colleagues for a number of years, and at a personal level, despite the differences we have on policy issues, he can be very decent to get along with," he said.

"But I fundamentally disagree with what he has said about Islam and a whole range of issues, and I also think that his views on markets are much more free market than mine.

"Obviously where there's common ground I'll build on that, and obviously we'll have disagreements. But at this stage, until it happens, I think it's all very hypothetical."