South Australian Liberals confirm Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party preference deal

The Coalition has confirmed it will preference billionaire Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party second on its Senate how-to-vote cards in South Australia ahead of an official announcement on Monday.

• Beware of Clive Palmer’s promises
• Labor trying to broker deal with Clive Palmer: reports

The Coalition will preference billionaire Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party second on its Senate how-to-vote cards in South Australia.

Pre-polling centres across South Australia open on Monday for voters to cast their early ballot papers.

A Senior Liberal source confirmed to The Advertiser that the United Australia Party will be the second preference of six preferences on its how-to-vote card, followed by minor parties including Centre Alliance and One Nation.

United Australia Party leader, Clive Palmer, is expected to make an announcement about a preference deal with the Coalition tomorrow.

The party has three candidates on its South Australian senate ticket.

It’s lead candidate Kristian Lees, a former Adelaide United player, has been contacted for comment.

Earlier on Sunday, Coalition campaign spokesman Senator Simon Birmingham urged people to vote one for the Liberal Party, and then preference a number of parties who share the lower taxing agenda or principles “we think are sensible for South Australia’s interests and future”.

Clive Palmer, before the Pro-Adani protest, in Jubilee Park, Mackay on Saturday April 27th, 2019 (Image AAP/Steve Pohlner)

When asked about a deal with Mr Palmer, Senator Birmingham said: “Clive Palmer can speak for himself”.

“Yes, sometimes if feels like you are allocating to the least worst out of a whole bad bunch of alternatives,” Senator Birmingham said.

“We have problems with the policies and the positions that every other political party ultimately we don’t endorse any of the rest of them,”

“We hope that our preferences are not allocated … that our candidates are ideally first around the country and therefore our preferences don’t come into play.”

Senator Birmingham said the Coalition will put Fraser Anning’s Conservative National Party candidates last in South Australia and elsewhere around the country.

“Except the one or two circumstances that we have identified there’s somebody with even worse of more offensive positions,” he said.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten has not denied Labor officials have met with Clive Palmer to discuss trading vote preferences, but says Labor is not entering a deal with the controversial billionaire.

Originally published as South Australian Liberals confirm Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party preference deal