Clive Palmer says he’s a king maker and Tony Abbott wouldn’t have secured the nation’s top job if not for his party’s preferences.
“We had six per cent and we preferenced the Liberal Party. The swing against Labor was 4.5 per cent,” the Palmer United Party leader told AAP on Sunday.
“Without Palmer United’s preferences, Tony Abbott would not be prime minister.”
Election analysts say Mr Palmer is on track to win the Sunshine Coast seat of Fairfax and his star candidate Glenn Lazarus will win a Senate spot in Queensland.
But Mr Palmer insists his party will also win the neighbouring Sunshine Coast seat of Fisher, which former Howard government minister Mal Brough is confident he’s bagged for the Coalition.
He also claims Senate candidate Jacqui Lambie will win a spot in Tasmania, as will Dio Wang in Western Australia.
And he says his party’s in with a chance in the lower house Queensland seat of Hinkler.
The Palmer party, formed just four months ago, had outpolled the century old National party, he said.
More Australians would become Palmer party converts when they understood more about his policies, he said.
“Those policies weren’t reported nationally but they got me 30 per cent of the vote in Fairfax, where the local media reported on them,” he said.
Mr Palmer said he was happy with his party’s vote and the prospect of winning two lower house seats and three in the senate.
“It’s never been done in the history of Australia in such short time,” the mining magnate said.
“We got more votes than the National party nationally and they have been around for 100 years.”
Mr Palmer said that like Tony Abbott, he would have some sway over any Palmer party candidates elected to the Senate.
“Well I am the parliamentary leader of the party, just like Tony Abbott is the leader of his party, and my relationship will be similar to his relationship with his senators,” Mr Palmer told AAP.
“I’ll have the same sway Tony Abbott has over his senators or what Bill Shorten will have over the Labor party senators – it’s no different.”
Barnaby Joyce, who has made a successful transition from the Senate to the lower house by winning New England in NSW, has expressed concern that Mr Palmer will “bring pandemonium” to Canberra.
But Mr Palmer says that’s a bit rich.
“Well Barnaby Joyce causes pandemonium everywhere he goes and he’s got a track record of doing that,” he said.
“It’s about having rational debate and raising critical issues – which Barnaby would struggle to understand.”
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