A range of fringe political parties will be given special access to Clive Palmer’s balance-of-power Senate team as a result of preference deals that ensured victory for Palmer United Party candidate Dio Wang in Western Australia.
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Eleven groups, including the Shooters and Fishers Party, the protectionist Australian Voice and climate sceptic Freedom and Prosperity Party, will get access to lobby PUP senators in return for their preferences at the weekend’s election rerun.
The PUP drew a stronger than expected primary vote of about 12.5 per cent on Mr Palmer’s jaw-dropping advertising spend but still required preferences to get Mr Wang elected ahead of the Liberal Party’s third candidate Linda Reynolds, who is now vying for the sixth and final seat with Labor’s Louise Pratt.
Fairfax Media can reveal Mr Palmer employed Glenn Druery, the so-called ‘‘preference whisperer’’ to broker a deal with members of the minor party alliance.
Mr Druery did not deny he was employed by Mr Palmer but said he would not comment on any commercial arrangements he has with clients – which also included the Shooters and Fishers in WA.
Mr Druery convinced a range of right-leaning micros as well as the left-leaning Australian Democrats to send their preferences to the PUP ahead of any of the major parties.
As revealed by Fairfax in March, the PUP offered in a letter to take up the agenda of micro parties and allow regular meetings with PUP senators.
The party has also promised to use its clout in the Senate to derail Abbott government plans to prevent minor parties getting elected again through expected reforms to the preference system and above-the-line voting.
That means an open door to the pro-hunting Shooters and Fishers which wants hunting in all national parks and state forests.
Australian Voice will be able to push its idea for a national development bank that would buy back all foreign-owned land and Australian food processing companies from foreign hands.
The Freedom and Prosperity Party – formerly known as the No Carbon Tax, Climate Sceptics – will try to dissuade Mr Wang from his support for the renewable energy target.
Freedom and Prosperity WA candidate Leon Ashby, a resident of Canberra, said the party would take up the PUP’s offer.
"The offer was made. It was all based on a handshake, so there are no guarantees [of access] but we will certainly putting our commonsense positions on things like the RET to them," he said.
On Monday, Mr Palmer signalled the PUP could not be counted on to rubber-stamp government legislation, singling out Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s gold-plated paid parental leave scheme.
"We believe in paid parental leave but we don’t believe in people that are very wealthy just getting a higher rate than the average working woman or stay-at-home mums," he said.
Among the other parties to preference PUP ahead of Labor, Liberals or the Greens was Family First, Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party, Australian Sports Party, Building Australia and Katter's Australian Party.
