UAP ‘volunteers’ pocket $100 each

Clive Palmer is paying people to hand out how-to-vote cards for the United Australia Party, it can be revealed.

A United Australia Party supporter handing out how to vote cards in Bankstown in Sydney was fined for allegedly exposing himself at a polling booth this morning. Picture: SBS

Clive Palmer is paying people to hand out how-to-vote cards for his United Australia Party, digging into his deep pockets again to staff polling booths.

Reporters from The Australian confirmed with UAP representatives clad in Mr Palmer’s distinctive yellow livery that they were receiving an average of $100 each to do a job that is typically performed by volunteers and members of other political parties.

Ahead of today’s voting, the UAP had insisted that it would be staffing polling stations with non-paid volunteers drawn from a claimed 12,000-strong membership list.

But at the booth at Rainworth State School in the west Brisbane electorate of Ryan, a couple from Brazil said a friend had arranged for them to be paid $100 each to work from 9am-4pm handing out voting guides for the UAP.

The woman did not speak English. Her male companion said: “It’s been very quiet.”

At St Columba’s School in Wilston, in the LNP-held seat of Brisbane, another UAP booth workers admitted he was being paid but would not say how much. At nearby Wilston State School a heavily-tattooed young man was distributing how-to-vote cards for UAP. Asked if he was being paid, he said: “I would rather not say.”

There was no UAP presence on the booth at McDowall State School in the Brisbane northside seat of Lilley when The Australian checked.

The Liberal National Party, which is defending 21 seats in Queensland, will be sweating on the Palmer party having its act together to ensure that preferences flow under a controversial vote swap brokered ahead of the election.

The deal will have limited value to the Liberal Party and LNP in Queensland if the UAP does not get its voting recommendations into the hands of voters.

When Mr Palmer made his first foray into politics in 2013 backpackers and people sourced by labour-hire firms were paid to distribute voting material on election day for the then Palmer United Party.

In Bankstown in Sydney’s west this morning, a man handing out for UAP was issued with a fine for allegedly exposing himself during an argument at a polling booth.