Clive Palmer has again assured Australians he will be throwing some of his spare change into influencing the nation’s destiny.
Addressing the National Press Club, Clive Palmer pledged to spend $70 million on advertising during the campaign. Of course, that campaign has been going on, more or less, since the 2019 election.
The mining baron’s United Australia Party will preference the major parties and the Greens last in the Senate, and support minor parties including the Greens ahead of Labor and the Coalition in the House of Representatives. The odd vaccine-sceptical Coalition politician will be spared his full wrath. Palmer’s Queensland billboards have emphasised ”freedom” from oppressive vaccine mandates, and peddled some disgraceful misinformation about vaccines.
But the man with the money will always have the loudest voice. Palmer taunted some of the assembled press by saying he might save a little bit on his 2019 effort because ad rates have gone down because of declining circulations. Take that, wicked media! The good news is that he won’t get elected.
Mark Sawyer is a journalist with extensive experience in print and digital media in Sydney, Melbourne and rural Australia.