Queensland election 2015: Clive Palmer maintains PUP can snatch balance of power
By political reporter James Glenday
Posted 14 minutes agoWed 14 Jan 2015, 8:57am PHOTO: Clive Palmer claims his party has a lot of support in Queensland and could end up holding the balance of power in the state. (AAP: Dan Peled) RELATED STORY: Newman pledges $500m for second Sunshine Coast rail line MAP: QLD
Federal MP Clive Palmer maintains his political party can snatch the balance of power in Queensland at this month's state election.
Premier Campbell Newman and Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk have both ruled out doing deals with the crossbench to form a minority government.
But Mr Palmer told AM that his party had a lot of support throughout Queensland and predicted the LNP would lose seats to PUP.
"Before the last federal election they said my support was 0.1 of 1 per cent," Mr Palmer said.
"I had all these stupid interviews with journalists saying how badly we're going, and then I won 50.3 per cent of the seat of Fairfax and I got the balance of power in Australia.
"We've got around 50 candidates standing in every region of the state.
"I think we'll achieve the balance of power in Queensland and stand as the last centurion of the gates to protect the sale of our schools and hospitals.
"And we would hold the balance of power because both parties want to sell the state's assets. Anna Bligh tried to do it.
"That's why Campbell Newman got elected and now Campbell Newman is trying to do it." Palmer denies candidates dominated by friends, family
Mr Palmer said it was wrong to suggest Palmer United Party candidates were dominated by his friends and employees.
The former Queensland leader of PUP, Alex Douglas, quit last year because he said Mr Palmer had been endorsing friends and relatives to run in the state election.
The wife of Palmer United Party senator Glenn Lazarus, Tess Lazarus, is running for the PUP in the seat of Buderim.
Media player: "Space" to play, "M" to mute, "left" and "right" to seek.
Mr Palmer said there were two candidates who were either a relative or close friend of his.
"Well there's never been more than a couple, so it's just been a media beat-up to be honest with you and it's just designed to make us think we're a party that hasn't got anyone but my friends, which is just bullshit," he said.
Mr Palmer also denied his party's election campaign had been affected by trusted media adviser Andrew Crook being charged over the unlawful detention and coercion of a National Australia Bank executive.
Mr Newman was scheduled to campaign in North Queensland on Wednesday and was expected to announce funding to help the construction of a new sports stadium in Townsville.
Ms Palaszczuk, meanwhile, was in Cairns in the state's far north for the second time in a week.
PHOTO: Clive Palmer claims his party has a lot of support in Queensland and could end up holding the balance of power in the state. (AAP: Dan Peled)
