Billionaire pumps millions into his own campaign
Clive Palmer has vowed to plunge an extraordinary A$50 million (NZ$53m) into his controversial federal election campaign, in a cash splash that could outstrip Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten but potentially fail to secure a single seat in Parliament for his fledgling United Australia Party.
The billionaire mining magnate is bombarding voters with television advertisements and text messages ahead of an election due by May, and has until now refused to say how much of his personal fortune will bankroll what could become one of the most expensive political campaigns in Australian history.
But a spokesman for Palmer told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that the United Australia Party, which plans to stand candidates in all 151 lower house seats, would spend ‘‘in excess of A$50 million’’ and if more was required ‘‘it will be employed’’.
‘‘There is no defined budget but it will certainly be more than the Liberals and Labor,’’ the spokesman said.
Australian Electoral Commission documents for the period covering the 2016 double dissolution election show the Liberal Party spent A$39.5 million and Labor A$35 million.
Palmer on Thursday returned to the Forbes Rich List for the first time since 2014, with an estimated wealth of A$1.8 billion catapulting him to the rank of Australia’s 20th richest person.
The high-profile former MP will stand in the marginal Queensland seat of Herbert but political analysts say he has no chance of winning given the collapse of his nickel refinery in Townsville has devastated the local economy.
‘‘Clive shouldn’t be underestimated but North Queenslanders are smart and they won’t be fooled by his antics and flashy advertisements,’’ said the Labor MP for Herbert, Cathy O’Toole.
Hundreds of workers were left out of pocket when Queensland Nickel shut in 2016 with A$300 million in debt, which liquidators will attempt to recover through a Supreme Court trial.
AEC documents show Queensland Nickel donated A$15.2 million to the United Australia Party’s predecessor, Palmer United Party, ahead of the 2013 election that netted Palmer a seat in the House of Representatives and two in the Senate for Jacqui Lambie and Glenn Lazarus. The refinery handed another A$5.9 million to the party the following financial year.
Marketing and media consultancy firm Ebiquity calculated that United Australia Party has spent A$3.7 million on press, radio and television advertising since last September.
Over A$2 million was put towards television, A$1 million set aside for radio slots, and A$115,000 on press advertisements in newspapers.
The figures do not account for Palmer’s massive ‘‘Make Australia Great’’ billboard campaign or unsolicited text messages to 5.4 million Australians, which have left many frustrated and prompted thousands of formal complaints.
Depending on size and location, billboards cost anywhere between A$2000 and A$50,000 to rent per month.
Dee Madigan, a marketing expert who has previously worked for Labor, said obtaining millions of phone numbers is relatively ‘‘cheap’’. She said companies were able to compile massive phone number lists by sending out text messages and seeing whether those messages bounced back.
The United Australia Party leader this week launched a political video game and is interviewing candidates he hopes to preselect for lower house and Senate seats.
Jen Sackley, who ran for One Nation in the 2017 Queensland state election, is the only candidate announced so far.
‘‘Clive Palmer should be spending less time making video games and more time focussed on the Queensland Nickel workers who still haven’t received their full entitlements,’’ O’Toole said.
Ebiquity has previously calculated Palmer spent A$3 million on television, radio and press advertising during the 2013 federal election campaign – the third highest in the race following Labor and the Liberal Party.
The 2019 federal election would not be the first time Palmer has outspent Labor and the Liberal Party: in the 2014 Western Australian Senate re-run, Palmer bought 788 television commercials – almost half the 1647 slots bought in total – at a cost of A$447,000. – Fairfax