The maverick MP has made no bones about his plan to use Palmer’s considerable war chest to spread misinformation about COVID – and it’s in democracy’s interest that he be stopped.
As Labor’s Annastacia Palaszczuk and the LNP’s Deb Frecklington vie for Queenslanders’ votes, leadership, COVID and economic recovery are set to dominate debate.
Leader of the United Australia Party Clive Palmer address the media during a press conference in Townsville, April 18.
Michael Chambers/AAP
Apart from the debate about debates, Friday’s campaign argy bargy centred on the Liberals’ preference deal with Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party, due to be announced by Palmer on Monday.
Clive Palmer (right) and former One Nation Senator Brian Burston announce the formation of the United Australia Party in Canberra.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Clive Palmer believes he can recapture the magic that saw him elected to Parliament in 2013, but what his new party – and others on the right – need is more discipline.
The recent elections in Tasmania, South Australia and the byelection in Batman have left an impression that the advance of the minor parties has stalled. This is not necessarily the case.
Glenn Lazarus and former MP Pauline Hanson are competing for every PUP vote to win a Queensland Senate seat.
Mick Tsikas/Dan Peled/AAP
One in 20 Australians voted for the Palmer United Party in 2013. Their votes will be crucial again – especially in Queensland, where ex-PUP senator Glenn Lazarus could be replaced by Pauline Hanson.
According to polling, Nick Xenophon and his team are on track to secure about three Senate spots.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
The Senate reforms and a double-dissolution election means that it is difficult to predict who will be sitting in the upper house after July 2. But you can count on Nick Xenophon being there.
Malcolm Turnbull receives a lick during a visit to the Port of Eden on the NSW south coast on Monday.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Finally, Clive Palmer has formally put a full stop to his personal political career, announcing on Monday he won’t be running for the Senate. Palmer United Party (PUP) will still field Senate candidates…
The Clive Palmer story is one of the most remarkable in recent federal politics.
Dan Peled/AAP
In his typical blustering manner, Clive Palmer, having refused every attempt to persuade him to participate in Monday’s ABC Four Corners – an expose of his controversial business affairs and overbearing…
Like Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi (right), PUP leader Clive Palmer heads up what can be termed a ‘personal’ party.
AAP/EPA/Alan Porritt/Angelo Carconi
While Silvio Berlusconi has shown himself to be adept at transferring business organisational and marketing skills to politics, Clive Palmer has appeared completely out of his depth in this sense.
Then there were two: Clive Palmer and Dio Wang are now the two lone Palmer United Party parliamentarians.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
PUP is now in a tiny kennel, which will be an interesting test of the relationship between the bombastic but diminished Clive Palmer and his lone Senate player, the understated and unassuming Dio Wang
Senator Glenn Lazarus has left the Palmer United Party.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
The Senate numbers have been thrown into new confusion and Clive Palmer’s power much weakened with the defection of the Palmer United Party’s Senate leader, Glenn Lazarus.
Queenslanders won’t know until at least next week who will lead the next state government, despite Labor winning the crucial support of an independent MP. That means Campbell Newman will remain premier…
PUP leader Clive Palmer is looking at a potentially difficult year.
AAP/Alan Porritt
When Tony Abbott was asked on Friday whether he’d consider stepping aside for Julie Bishop or Malcolm Turnbull – both of whom are more popular than he is – the Prime Minister defaulted to chutzpah. Abbott…
One Nation’s Pauline Hanson says landholders’ constitutional water rights have been undermined by government changes – but is that true?
AAP Image/Tertius Pickard
The Australian Constitution says residents have the right to water from the rivers for irrigation and conservation purposes but governments have brought in laws that are restricting this – One Nation’s…
Palmer United Party founder Clive Palmer had to miss the Queensland election launch, leaving it to state leader John Bjelke-Petersen – backed by senators Glenn Lazarus and Dio Wang – to make the pitch to voters.
AAP/Jamie McKinnell
It’s been a surprisingly muted campaign from the Palmer United Party (PUP) ahead of Queensland’s January 31 poll – and on Sunday, the man who started it all couldn’t even make it to his own party. At the…
Education Minister Christopher Pyne is still adamant on getting his higher education reforms through the Senate next year.
AAP/Lukas Coch
After the Senate sent his higher education bill packing, Education Minister Christopher Pyne dropped into a Universities Australia reception, which serendipitously happened to be in full swing at Parliament…
Glenn Lazarus has confirmed the Palmer United Party won’t support the government’s higher education reform package.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Palmer United Party Senate leader Glenn Lazarus has warned Education Minister Christopher Pyne to “stop harassing” him and other crossbenchers as the government tries desperately to get its higher education…
Senator Jacqui Lambie has further complicated an already difficult Senate.
AAP/Alan Porritt
The full ramifications of Jacqui Lambie’s decision to leave the PUP kennel to sit as an independent won’t be clear for some time. Obviously, however, it is a major blow to Clive Palmer’s power. It further…