Former Victorian Liberal MP Geoff Shaw snapped helping Clive Palmer on voting booths

Controversial former Liberal MP Geoff Shaw is throwing his support behind Clive Palmer in a critical Melbourne seat and was snapped distributing how-to-vote cards for the mining magnate’s United Australia Party.

Controversial former Liberal MP Geoff Shaw is throwing his support behind Clive Palmer in a critical Melbourne seat.

The former state MP was this morning snapped handing out how-to-vote cards for the mining magnate’s United Australia Party at a St Kilda polling booth in the seat of Macnamara.

Mr Shaw, sporting an beard, long hair and wearing a yellow UAP T-shirt, a grey hoodie, jeans and runners, is understood to be manning the pre-poll both a on regular shifts every week.

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UAP candidate in Macnamara Helen Paton told the Herald Sun she was “too busy” on a pre-poll station to answer inquiries about Mr Shaw, but asked for them to be emailed through to the party’s media adviser.

Former state Liberal MP Geoff Shaw.

Preferences could prove critical in deciding the winner with the seat expected to be tight three-way contest between the Liberals, Labor and the Greens.

There has been some speculation Mr Palmer will pay people to man the party’s booths.

Calls to Mr Shaw this morning went unanswered.

United Australia Party candidates have also been given personal mobile phones — paid for by Mr Palmer — and attended an all-expenses paid “training weekend” at the Sunshine Coast last month.

In the 2013 election he manned some north Queensland polls with workers from his mining operations.

Mr Shaw famously quit the Liberal Party after being accused of misusing his expenses, but was cleared of criminal charges.

His move to the crossbench in the lower house of Victorian parliament was critical in the downfall of Victorian premier Ted Baillieu and the chaos it created was blamed for the Coalition’s loss at the 2014 election.

The United Australia Party has been contacted for comment.

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