Clive Palmers bids for Senate seat, abandons run for Herbert

Clive Palmer has abandoned his run for the lower house, opting for the easier path to the Senate.

Clive Palmer has poured millions into setting-up and promoting the United Australia Party, preselecting candidates in 134 seats across all states and territories. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Clive Palmer will contest a senate seat at the May 18 federal election, abandoning his long-touted tilt to run in the Melbourne Cup field of candidates for the Townsville-based seat of Herbert.

The businessman will tomorrow formally announce his decision to switch to the upper house just weeks after polling in The Weekend Australian showed he had almost no chance of winning the Labor-held marginal seat.

Mr Palmer has poured millions into setting-up and promoting the United Australia Party, preselecting candidates in 134 seats across all states and territories.

But the Palmer party had not endorsed a candidate in Herbert, even though Townsville has been a focus of the national advertising spending that is costing about $1 million a week coupled with generous donations from Mr Palmer to local community and sports groups.

He had also promised to move his family to the north Queensland city to pave the way for his nomination.

This, too, failed to eventuate, heightening speculation that Mr Palmer’s intention all along had been to run for the Senate, the easier challenge, or that he would sit the election out.

Sources confirmed Mr Palmer was now contesting the senate seat.

Earlier this week, Mr Palmer was challenged to pay businesses and government agencies owed up to $300 million from the collapse of his nickel refinery in Townsville after making a surprise offer to settle with workers short-changed of their entitlements.

If Mr Palmer follows through, he will spend an estimated $7.16m making up the difference between what Queensland Nickel staff received from a federal government fund and the settlements they were owed when the QNI plant went bust in 2016.

More to come