Billionaire Clive Palmer has announced he’ll be running for parliament at the next federal election under his United Australia Party.
Palmer, who had previously announced he was walking away from fielding candidates at elections has reversed his decision and is now getting ready to run again.
Palmer will run for the seat of Fadden in Queensland. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP Cameron Caldwell, who succeeded Stuart Robert who resigned in 2023.
Palmer previously served as the member for Fairfax from 2013 until 2016 when he did not seek re-election. He arrived in the parliament as the Palmer United Party alongside several other candidates who succeed at the election.
Jackie Lambie, Dio Wang, and Glenn Lazarus all arrived as part of Palmer’s team. Both Lambie and Lazarus decamped to form their own parties and
Later Craig Kelly joined the party after leaving the Liberal party, and Brian Burston was also a member after quitting One Nation. The party was renamed United Australia.
At the 2022 election Senator Ralph Babet became the party’s only successful candidate despite Palmer pouring over $100million into a national campaign. At the 2025 election Palmer launched a new party called Trumpet of Patriots who failed to win any seats.
In a media release Palmer said he’d be offer Australians a “new deal” that would lead to prosperity.
“Like you, as a citizen of Australia I’m disgusted by the selfishness of politicians and political parties fighting over their positions and what they might gain from the public purse,” Mr Palmer said.
“This country has enormous wealth and capacity to provide a prosperous future for you and your family. The solution is not just pointing out what is wrong, but setting out a program with a pathway to prosperity.” Palmer said.
The party outlined a policy platform that included zero immigration, cancelling net-zero targets, allowing all forms of energy generation in the market, and a larger tax of gas and iron ore exports. A Palmer led government would remove the National Disability Scheme and introduce a 30% increase in pensions and welfare benefits.
They would also cancel all student debt, fully fund universities, cut international student numbers, while doubling health funding. There would be a national fund to address homelessness, and a trillion dollar national housing program.
People living in regional areas more than 200km from metropolitan areas would get a 20% tax break to encourage regional development.
