Empty list as a default param - the problem, and my suggested solution

[guruyaya]

I am fairly sure all of us know about this python quirk:
>>> def no_new_func(a=[]):
...        a.append('new')
...        return a

>>> no_new_func()
['new']
>>> no_new_func()
['new', 'new']
>>>

For some time I was bothered about that there's no elegant way to use empty list or dict as a default parameter. While this can be solved like this:
>>> def no_new_func(a=None):
...        if a == None:
                a = []
...        a.append('new')
...        return a

I have to say I find this solution very far from the spirit of python. Kinda ugly, and not explicit. So I've decided to try and create a new module, that will try and make, what I think, is a more beautiful and explicit:

>>> from new import NEW
>>> @NEW.parse
... def new_func(a=NEW.new([])):
...     a.append('new appended')
...     return a
...
>>> new_func()
['new appended']
>>> new_func()
['new appended']

I'd like to hear your thoughts on my solution and code. You can find and give your feedback in this project
https://github.com/guruyaya/new
If I see that people like this, I will upload it to pip. I'm not fully sure about the name I choose (I thought about the "new" keyword used in JAVA, not sure it applies here as well)

Thanks in advance for your feedback
Yair