Mining billionaire and political gadfly Clive Palmer is attempting another return to federal politics, this time running for the Queensland seat of Fadden.
Palmer, who previously served as the member for Fairfax from 2013 to 2016, has announced he'll contest the Gold Coast-based seat under his United Australia Party banner. The UAP spent tens of millions on advertising in recent elections without winning seats, becoming infamous for saturating media with yellow billboards and attack ads.
Mate, Palmer's back, and Australian politics is about to get louder and more litigious. His mining wealth and willingness to flood elections with advertising makes him impossible to ignore, even if his political success rate suggests he should be.
The seat of Fadden is currently held by the Liberal National Party. Palmer's entry into the race sets up a contest in what has traditionally been a safe conservative seat. His strategy appears to be using his personal wealth to mount a high-profile campaign that could split the conservative vote.
Online reaction on the Australia subreddit (106 upvotes, 119 comments) was largely skeptical, with many questioning whether Palmer's political ambitions serve any purpose beyond promoting his business interests and public profile.
Palmer's previous stint in parliament was marked by spectacular fallouts with his own party members and numerous legal battles. He founded the Palmer United Party in 2013, which briefly held the balance of power in the Senate before imploding amid internal disputes.
The UAP's 2022 federal election campaign cost an estimated $100 million but failed to win a single seat. The party's candidates received significant primary votes in some electorates but were unable to convert that into parliamentary representation under Australia's preferential voting system.
Whether can actually win is questionable. What's certain is that he'll spend enormous sums trying, and voters will be subjected to months of UAP advertising. Democracy in action, apparently.
