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Clive Palmer targets Peter Dutton as he woos Campbell Newman

Clive Palmer will for the first time turn his guns on the federal coalition, with plans to unseat Peter Dutton.

Clive Palmer. Picture: Getty Images
Clive Palmer. Picture: Getty Images

Clive Palmer will for the first time turn his guns on the federal ­Coalition, with plans to unseat Defence Minister Peter Dutton, as he attempts to court former Queensland premier Campbell Newman.

The billionaire businessman is readying to repeat his advertising blitz against Labor in the 2019 election, credited with damaging Bill Shorten’s hopes of winning power, with a cashed-up campaign against both major parties.

As the one-time federal MP moves to rebrand his eponymous party into the United Australia Party, he is trying to recruit high-profile potential candidates and is already rolling out ads critical of Labor and the Liberals.

Former Queensland premier Mr Newman, who quit the Liberal National Party at the weekend for a potential Senate tilt, is among those touted as possible candidates for Mr Palmer’s party.

Mr Newman, who had accepted an invitation to meet Mr Palmer on Friday, praised his plans to campaign against the Morrison government and federal opposition but after confirming the scheduled meeting, he later contacted The Australian to say it was no longer going ahead.

Mr Palmer and Mr Newman publicly fell out when he was premier in a sometimes bitter feud, but in recent months have met privately several times.

Campbell Newman. Picture: Annette Dew
Campbell Newman. Picture: Annette Dew
Peter Dutton. Picture: Zak Simmonds
Peter Dutton. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Mr Newman, who has also been linked to the Liberal Democrats or making a run for a Senate spot as an independent, would not publicly rule out joining Mr Palmer’s party but it is understood he will not run as a candidate for the businessman.

“I’ve had discussions with a range of parties … I’m not going to talk about that,” Mr Newman said, when asked if he was being recruited by Mr Palmer.

After telling The Australian the Friday meeting would no longer go ahead, Mr Newman said he was open to future discussions with Mr Palmer about public policy.

“I’ve met with Clive on some important public policy ­issues this year in my role as director of the Australian Institute of Progress and I’ll be prepared to meet with him again in the future for discussions about advocacy for a better Australia and a better outcome in Canberra, but I won’t be meeting with him tomorrow,” he said.

Less than a week after quitting as a member of the LNP, of which he was recently appointed a trustee, Mr Newman said he would support Mr Palmer’s campaign against his former party. “I would welcome Clive Palmer, if he is going to run a campaign in the next election, pointing out failures of both major parties.”

A spokesman for Mr Palmer declined to comment about Mr Newman.

Multiple sources have told The Australian Mr Palmer intended to specifically target Mr Dutton, who played a key role in overhauling the LNP’s hierarchy at the weekend’s LNP state convention.

Close ties between Mr Palmer and former high-ranking members of the LNP’s organisational wing were at the centre of internal debate ahead of the purge led by Mr Dutton and state Opposition Leader David Crisafulli.

Photographs of former LNP presidents Gary Spence, Bruce McIver and David Hutchinson aboard Mr Palmer’s yacht in the Brisbane River on the night of the 2020 election loss fuelled grassroots anger over the links with the businessman, who quit the LNP to form his own party after his public spat with Mr Newman.

Mr Palmer has been angered by the LNP clean-out and has turned his sights on the party in a campaign reminiscent of the $80m he spent at the 2019 election targeting Mr Shorten.

Labor attributed the campaign as being partly responsible for its shock election defeat.

A recent half-page ad in metro newspapers, authorised by Mr Palmer, said: “We can never trust the Liberal or Labor parties again!”

Mr Palmer has also reportedly tried to lure former Liberal MP Craig Kelly and outgoing Nationals MP George Christensen to join his party.

Read related topics:Peter Dutton

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/clive-palmer-targets-peter-dutton-as-he-woos-campbell-newman/news-story/b631bf14d55c6554fb80ce91297f15f7