Palmer makes pitch to Patriots at campaign launch
Fraser Barton |
Clive Palmer hopes his Trumpet of Patriots can bring “common sense” back to Australian politics after launching the party’s campaign in front of a strong crowd at his resort.
Mr Palmer, Victorian senator Ralph Babet and federal party leader Suellen Wrightson led the party pitches to a crowd of 400 at the Palmer Coolum Resort on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, pointing the finger at Australia’s major political parties.
“The uni-party of Labor and the coalition have provided the blueprint for a disaster since the turn of the century,” Mr Palmer told the crowd.
“It’s dumb and dumber. It’s tweedledum and tweedledee. It’s B1 and B2.”
Attendees at the event were provided yellow hats saying ‘Make Australia Great Again’.
American journalist Tucker Carlson was fed in to proceedings via video to begin the launch.
“Australia needs many of the policies of the Trump administration, which will be effective in bringing Australia back on track,” Ms Wrightson said in her speech.
“We also believe it’s time to throw out the professional politicians in the Labor and Liberal Party and it is indeed time to provide Australians with a real, genuine alternative at this election.”
Mr Palmer has spent millions of dollars on federal election campaigns, with the May 3 poll no different as he seeks to gain more than one seat.
He does not expect to spend as much in this shorter federal campaign, but estimates his expenses about $70 million.
Since he vowed at a recent National Press Club address to bombard Australians with advertising, billboards and videos have been appearing thick and fast across the physical and digital landscape.
The party has committed to driving down cost of living through high-speed rail, allowing Australians to access superannuation for a housing deposit and capping interest rates at three per cent.
Other policies include establishing a department of government efficiency, similar to the one headed by Elon Musk in the Trump administration in the US, and cutting immigration to “sustainable” levels.
Part of the party’s immigration policy includes limiting foreign buyers from purchasing Australian homes and prime agricultural land.
Mr Palmer is also calling for the abolition of net zero and Paris Agreement targets.
“The government has given $38 billion to foreign developers and manufacturers in the form of subsidy for renewable energy, they’ll spend another $642 billion of taxpayers money to try to get to net zero,” he told the party faithful.
“They’ll spend that $642 billion to keep you poor, to keep you in your cage and to tie you up so you can do nothing, and you’ll feel helpless and defenceless.”
Mr Palmer also accused both parties of staging the most boring election campaign he could recall, “and I don’t think that’s a good thing”.
He said his party would preference them last in the seats they held.
AAP
