It’s on: Clive Palmer confirms UAP will run in Queensland election

Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party campaign will be spearheaded by former rugby league great Greg Dowling.

Clive Palmer has confirmed his United Australia Party will contest the Queensland state election. Picture: News Corp

Clive Palmer officially announced his United Australia Party will run in October’s Queensland election campaign with a platform aimed at toppling Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Speaking in Brisbane on Friday, when he announced former rugby league great Greg Dowling as his party’s leader, Mr Palmer said it was too early to unveil any policies, but he did reveal that his advertising effort would be running with a slogan calling on voters to “give Labor the boot”.

The UAP campaign is expected to deliverer significant indirect benefits to the opposition Liberal National Party in a similar way to last year’s federal election.

“It’s time to give Labor the boot and I couldn’t think of a better leader than Greg Dowling to make it happen,” Mr Palmer said.

Mr Palmer said his policies would focus on rebuilding the economy and funding job-creating projects.

The businessman’s political ­influence will be somewhat constrained by election spending caps introduced in Queensland last month.

The former LNP life member and party spokesman said he would consider preference deals with both major parties.

Asked whether he would prefer Ms Palaszczuk or LNP leader Deb Frecklington as premier, Mr Palmer said: “I would have to look at the policies to see what’s best for the state, but I can only go on the current track record of the current government and it’s very poor.”

Mr Palmer praised Prime Minister Scott Morrison as doing an “outstanding job for the country”, particularly during the corona­virus pandemic.

The former federal MP has ­advertised across Queensland, calling for candidates to nominate and said he expected to run candidates in up to 70 of the state’s 93 seats. “We will be looking strategically at where we can make the most difference in the election and how we can deliver good policies in the coming months,” he said.

At the last federal election, the mining magnate spent an estimated $60m on advertising but failed to win a seat, including his own bid for the Senate.

A Labor review of its 2019 campaign found “the large size and targeted nature of Clive Palmer’s campaign had a significant negative effect on Bill Shorten’s popularity and on Labor’s primary vote”.

Mr Palmer’s business ties with members of the LNP executive have been called into question this year over perceived backroom undermining of Ms Frecklington.

LNP president David Hutchinson was forced to quit his job as a property consultant with Mr Palmer in June over concerns that it created a conflict of interest.

Mr Palmer on Friday hosed down suggestions the business relationship had impacted their political decisions. “You can’t look at people’s political affiliations and only appoint people you agree with politically,” he said. “David is a very talented person commercially and that’s why we employed him.”

Former Queensland and Australia rugby league representative Mr Dowling, who contested the Townsville-based seat of Herbert in the federal election and was backed by Mr Palmer in his unsuccessful bid to become Townsville mayor, said Ms Palaszczuk and Labor would be the target of his campaign. “Queenslanders are sick of the negativity of the current Premier,” Mr Dowling said. “Labor has destroyed the state.”