federal election 2016: Clive Palmer quits Fairfax, ponders Senate run

Clive Palmer says he is looking forward to playing bowls as he quits his Queensland seat of Fairfax.

Clive Palmer in his office at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith.

Besieged Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer says he is preparing to play games of bowls and croquet as he quits his Queensland seat of Fairfax ahead of the July 2 election.

However, Mr Palmer conceded a switch to run for the Senate was a “live option”, a reversal of his ­denial last month when The Australian revealed he had canvassed the move with political operatives, including PUP senator Zhenya Wang.

The self-proclaimed billionaire denied a possible tilt at the Senate was because of widespread speculation he will lose his lower house seat at the election amid increasing pressure over Queensland Nickel, from which he siphoned more than $200 million before its collapse into liquidation.

Mr Palmer said he would not pursue the lower house seat because he had “very little influence” in the House of Representatives, but insisted he could make a “positive contribution” in the Senate.

“That was a personal decision of mine because since I stood in the seat of Fairfax, about eight months ago I moved to the Gold Coast with my wife and family as I ­entered into a retirement phase of my life. I’m now 62,” he said.

“You’ve got to move on. Courage is about letting go and facing the future ... A lot of people cry when they leave parliament, I just think about the good things that can happen.”

While the PUP leader consults his wife about his future, the LNP candidate for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien, who was beaten in 2013 by Mr Palmer by 53 votes, said the “sooner Fairfax can decouple his brand from ours, the better”.

“When he was finally declared the member for Fairfax, I asked him to do three things: deliver on his promises, be a full-time member and avail himself to constituents,” Mr O’Brien told The Australian.

“He’s failed on all three counts, and worse, he’s done considerable damage to the electorate.”

Mr Palmer’s cash-stripped Queensland Nickel and his Coolum resort — once the centrepiece of tourism on the Sunshine Coast — have shed hundreds of jobs since he was elected.

His $500 million plan to build the Titanic II is also in doubt, with the MP saying he would have to ask his wife if he could pursue the idea during retirement.

“As you can see, I’m boisterous, I’m looking forward to playing bowls on the Gold Coast, having a really risque life, it’s all in front of me. I feel I’ve been born again,” he said.

Coolum Business and Tourism president Malcolm Chilman said Mr Palmer was not well-liked in the Fairfax electorate, particularly around Coolum.

“It’s not surprising — last I heard, he was polling at around 2 per cent in Fairfax,” Mr Chilman, an ­accountant by trade, said.

“By not standing, he seems to be saving himself from a humiliating defeat.

“When he first came to Coolum, there was some optimism. I hadn’t heard of Clive Palmer, but there was some hope he might get in and reinvigorate the resort.

“That hasn’t happened. It was a significant asset on the coast.”

He said the resources tycoon was not an effective local member.

“We didn’t really see much of him and we were disappointed by his representation as the member for Fairfax,” Mr Chilman said. “I can’t point to anything significant he’s done for the area.”