ALP’s secret Palmer talks for seat preference deal
A member of the ALP executive close to Bill Shorten held secret meetings with Clive Palmer as recently as last week in an attempt to broker a preference deal between Labor and the Queensland billionaire, amid fears the United Australia Party could swing key seats back to the Coalition.
Revelations that key union figures were enlisted to engage Mr Palmer on behalf of the ALP came as the Opposition Leader yesterday traded blows with the mining magnate, who is on the verge of finalising a preference deal with the Liberal Party.
The Australian has confirmed from a source close to the meetings between the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union and UAP that Michael O’Connor — the union’s national secretary and the brother of Labor’s workplace relations spokesman, Brendan O’Connor — flew to Brisbane on Wednesday last week to meet Mr Palmer along with another union official.
Tanya Plibersek yesterday did not deny that Labor had been in preference negotiations with Mr Palmer. “I have no idea what’s happening with the preference negotiations,” Ms Plibersek said.
Mr Shorten yesterday blasted the UAP leader for spending $30 million on an advertising blitz to help him return to parliament, instead of paying out entitlements to the 787 workers who were sacked from his Townsville-based nickel refinery.
“Every time he sends you a text message, send him one back saying, ‘Where is the money for the workers in Townsville?” the Labor leader said. “He is running for parliament and he owes millions of dollars and the taxpayer has bailed him out.”
Mr O’Connor, who is strongly aligned to Mr Shorten and considered a powerbroker within the Labor movement as a member of the ALP national executive, is understood to have first met Mr Palmer several weeks ago before a follow-up meeting last week.
The source confirmed that the meeting was arranged to discuss preferences with UAP, which is fielding candidates in every lower house seat.
The Australian revealed this week that a deal between Mr Palmer and Scott Morrison was on the cusp of being sealed, with the Liberals hoping the arrangement will ring-fence up to 12 marginal Coalition seats. A swap of preferences between the Liberal Party and UAP would benefit Mr Palmer, likely delivering a Senate seat in Queensland and the potential for another in Western Australia. But it would also play a crucial role in helping the government hold several seats, such as Flinders in Victoria and Dickson in Queensland, and snatch some from Labor, including Herbert in Queensland, Lindsay in NSW and Braddon in Tasmania.
Ms Plibersek said she was “very certain that Clive Palmer won’t be preferencing Labor” and argued that the Prime Minister was “playing off One Nation against Clive Palmer”.
“It is a constant surprise given the way that he has treated his workforce that anybody would want to vote for him,” she said.
An exclusive Newspoll of four marginal seats published in The Australian on Tuesday revealed that UAP, a new version of the deregistered Palmer United Party, was commanding between five and 14 per cent of the primary vote, elevating Mr Palmer to a potential kingmaker in a tight election.
Mr Palmer still has the option of preferencing Labor ahead of the Liberals in a few strategic seats, including the Sydney electorate of Warringah, held by Tony Abbott, and the Brisbane seat of Dickson, held by Peter Dutton.
Mr Palmer and Mr Abbott have a long history of animosity, with the former prime minister accusing the maverick businessman last year of trying to “buy” his way back into politics.
The UAP has also criticised the government’s refugee policies, which have been overseen by Mr Dutton as Home Affairs Minister. The UAP hopes to overhaul the border protection regime to give asylum-seekers visas to fly to Australia.
Suellen Wrightson, the UAP candidate in Warringah, said yesterday she was a former member of the Liberal Party and had “fairly conservative values”. She was “very concerned” that GetUp was a “negative influence on the democratic process”.
Ms Wrightson said she would like to see a review of the electoral rules applying to third parties given GetUp was “clearly trying to influence the outcome of an election and clearly trying to sway public opinion in one particular direction”.
Pressed on negotiations with the UAP yesterday, Mr Morrison said: “No such arrangements have been concluded and to the extent there are any discussions, where they land is where they land.
“It’s not unusual for political parties as they go in once nominations close and pre-polling opens, that you’ll have some discussions.”
Mr Palmer yesterday took aim at Mr Shorten for making “untrue and defamatory” remarks after the Labor leader accused him of neglecting workers at his refinery. Mr Palmer said he was being attacked “merely because I have offered to serve the Australian people … We need to be positive in this country and it is not helpful to Australia if we continue to attack individuals merely because they offer themselves for public service.”
“Public service has no reward, history is its only reward. Politicians of all political parties should be positive and put forward the best ideas for Australia. We have to put Australia first and do all we can to improve the living standards of our fellow Australians”.
Michael O’Connor did not respond to questions from The Australian last night.
A spokesman for the CFMEU did not deny the meetings took place but could not provide a comment on Mr O’Connor’s behalf.
Mr Shorten’s office was contacted for comment.
Scott Morrison is on the verge of securing a preference deal with Clive Palmer that would all but guarantee the Queensland billionaire a Senate spot and help ring-fence marginal seats the Coalition must hold to retain government.
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