Billionaire Clive Palmer seeks to become a political giant by campaigning against vaccination mandates
Clive Palmer in a BIG political move as the billionaire seeks to become a political giant again by campaigning against vaccination mandates
Mining billionaire Clive Palmer is attempting a return to federal politics, announcing he will lead his party’s Senate team in the upcoming election.
Mr Palmer’s United Australia Party plans to field Senate candidates in every state and territory, with the former lower house MP last winning in 2013 when he won the seat of Fairfax on the Sunshine Coast.
“The reason I came back into politics and played a key role at this important time is because of the state of the nation,” he told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday, underscoring the level of the national debt.
Billionaire Clive Palmer (pictured) is attempting a return to federal politics, announcing he will lead the United Australia Party in the upcoming election
“I would like to be on my boat but I am not, I am in this situation.”
The opponent of the vaccine mandate says his party has attracted more than 80,000 members and will be supported by a well-resourced campaign.
“I don’t budget, we just respond to political circumstances,” he said.
Wednesday’s press conference took place at the Hyatt Regency in Brisbane, where a check-in sign at the door said proof of vaccination was required for entry from December 17.
However, Mr Palmer said he did not need a vaccine.
“I don’t think I need a COVID vaccination personally, I haven’t caught it, I have a healthy life,” he said, undeterred by the impact that the mandate Queensland vaccination for a wide range of places can have on its campaign.
“I didn’t check into the hotel, I didn’t go to the restaurant here, I just walked up the escalator and walked into this room,” he said after being questioned. he had been asked for proof of vaccination.
Vaccine mandate opponent says his party has attracted more than 80,000 members and will be supported by a well-resourced campaign
The party has only one seat in federal parliament – the Hughes electorate held by Craig Kelly, who was elected as the Liberal candidate until he resigned to sit as an independent before joining the UAP.
But Mr Palmer continues to boost the party’s chances in elections to be held sometime before the end of May, and says candidates will also be fielded for every seat in the lower house.
“We can gain places in western Sydney, western Melbourne. There are seats in Queensland we can win,” he said.
The party’s senatorial team also includes former Deloitte Australia chief executive Domenic Martino in NSW and property manager Ralph Babet in Victoria.
The announcement follows controversy over Mr Kelly, who came to the attention of the Therapeutic Goods Administration after he spammed people with unsolicited text messages last year.
The messages included a link to a website displaying lists of “adverse event notifications” of COVID-19 vaccines, which John Skerritt of TGA called a misuse of data.