Palmer’s star candidate has a preference for Libs

Clive Palmer’s star recruit Greg Dowling is against directing preferences to Labor in the marginal seat of Herbert.

Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party candidate Greg Dowling at his fast food franchise in Townsville yesterday. Picture: Cameron Laird

Clive Palmer’s star recruit Greg Dowling is against directing preferences to Labor ahead of the ­Liberals in the seat of Herbert, a move that could damage ALP ­incumbent Cathy O’Toole.

A former Queensland State of Origin player, Mr Dowling was endorsed as the United Australia Party’s candidate in the country’s most marginal seat last week after Mr Palmer abandoned plans to contest the seat himself in favour of a Senate bid.

Mr Dowling, previously a Liberal voter, told The Australian he could not reveal how UAP would direct its preferences in the Townsville seat, and the final decision would be made by Mr Palmer.

Preferences could prove critical in Herbert, with the flow from supporters of the Greens, One Nation and Katter’s Australian Party ­delivering the seat to Labor in the 2016 knife-edge contest.

“I’ll let Clive release that,” Mr Dowling said.

“Put it this way, I’ve never been a Labor supporter in my life.

“I used to be Liberal. I voted for Clive last election when it was Palmer United Party. I’ve never voted Labor and I won’t.”

Mr Dowling said he had a good chance of winning the seat ­because voters were sick of Labor and the Coalition.

The Oporto fast-food franchisee, who moved to Townsville a decade ago, believes the region’s economic woes have been brought on by a lack of leadership in the city from all levels of government.

Mr Dowling said coverage of Mr Palmer after the collapse of his Townsville-based nickel refinery in 2016 had portrayed the mining magnate as a villain, which would cost him some votes.

“I was very sceptical (when asked to run for the party) because the media portray him as a real ­villain,” Mr Dowling said.

“I’m fascinated by the guy and what he’s done. I love what he’s about. He loves Australia, and I do (too). You will have some who will be swayed by the way he has been portrayed in the media.”

Mr Dowling said he had spoken to Mr Palmer about Queensland Nickel’s collapse and believed it was a consequence of administrators and a drop in resources prices, not financial mismanagement.

The former Brisbane Broncos frontrower was first approached by the UAP in November, when Mr Palmer was still considering whether he would contest the seat or run for the Senate.

Mr Palmer’s nephew Martin Brewster ran in Herbert in 2016 but received just 257 votes.

One Nation was the highest-polling minor party, winning 13.4 per cent of the 2016 vote. One ­Nation handed out two how-to-vote cards — one preferencing Labor higher than the Liberal Party and vice versa — but most votes flowed to Labor, unseating government backbencher Ewen Jones and handing Ms O’Toole the seat.

Other minor parties spoke to Mr Dowling ahead of the 2016 federal election, but he declined to run as a candidate, not believing he would run for politics “in a million years”.

Mr Dowling believes One ­Nation will struggle this election after “shooting themselves in the foot” with the recent scandal involving party members allegedly seeking donations from the US gun lobby.

The son of cane farmers, Mr Dowling grew up in Ingham, 100km north of Townsville.

He worked in a uranium mine before pursuing his rugby league career, later running a McDonald’s franchise on the Atherton Tableland west of Cairns.

After retiring, Mr Dowling moved to Townsville, where he had spent some time playing rugby league, to open the Oporto franchise within a suburban shopping centre.

He said the city’s economy had been on a downward spiral for most of that time.

“It’s just sad to see the amount of businesses that have closed around here,” Mr Dowling said.