Clive Palmer’s harsh words for Premier Daniel Andrews before election

Billionaire Clive Palmer has blasted the Victorian Premier just days out from the state’s election.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – NewsWire Photos NOVEMBER 24TH, 2022: Clive Palmer and Geoff Shaw of the United Australia Party speak to the media in Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

Clive Palmer has taken aim at Premier Daniel Andrews just days before Victorians head for the polls.

The former United Australia Party senator was in Melbourne ahead of the state’s election on Saturday, where he tallied reasons voters should act to change the government.

“I think it means a lot to Australia as well as Victoria that something’s done to stop the example he’s set for government,” he told NCA NewsWire.

“We’ve seen under Daniel Andrews’ rule people die after hotel quarantine (Covid leak) because the Labor Party was incompetent in having security guards.

Clive Palmer and Geoff Shaw from the UAP were in Melbourne ahead of the state election. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

“Then we saw the whole place locked down, the vaccine mandates, pregnant women arrested in their homes, we’ve seen small businesses going broke.

“All together with what we’ve seen, it’s time for a change and to bring these people to account.”

The comments came hours after a dramatic press conference, where the mining billionaire accidentally called his party’s own candidate Geoff Shaw a Nazi.

“If anyone’s a Nazi, of course, it’s Geoff...Dan Andrews, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “Victorians are suffering from policies that have destroyed families, small businesses and jobs. They have lost their freedom.”

Mr Palmer said the party had lofty ambitions for the upcoming election despite lukewarm results at the federal election.

“We can look to holding the balance of power in Victoria and there’s not many parties that can do that,” Mr Palmer said.

“The Greens are really just part of the Labor Party and we’ve seen the Teals exposed as being for the Labor Party. I think a lot of people regret not voting for us in the last Federal election.”

UAP has put forward 15 candidates for Upper House including Geoff Shaw. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

The party won just 4.7 per cent of votes despite a $100 million campaign.

UAP now has just one MP in Federal parliament after the election, with Ralph Babet representing Victoria in the Senate.

Daniel Andrews’ Labor government currently holds 55 of 88 lower house seats in Victoria. It needs at least 45 to form a majority government.

UAP has put forward 15 candidates for Upper House seats across the state, led by state party leader Geoff Shaw.

The state election is set to be held on Saturday, November 26.

Originally published as Clive Palmer’s harsh words for Premier Daniel Andrews before election