Mining billionaire Clive Palmer re-enters politics with tilt at Queensland seat of Fadden

Clive Palmer has announced that he will run for the Liberal-held seat of Fadden, kicking off his return to politics with a $10,000 gift to asylum seekers from the Iranian soccer team.

The mining billionaire’s United Australia Party has resumed an advertising blitz in recent weeks outlining what Mr Palmer has dubbed a “new deal” for the country.

In a wide-ranging press conference at Parliament in Canberra, Mr Palmer said that he was making a fresh tilt after concern over what he described as a “national crisis” in politics.

“It’s time to stop the rot in Australian politics. A new era is coming,” he said.

Despite saying in 2025 that he was too old to make a return to politics, the 71-year-old said a “keto diet” had given him the stamina and capability to run again.

“I’ve lost a lot of weight. I’ve been on a keto diet. I’ve been running. I’ve been reinvigorated by not having too much sugar and too much carbohydrates,” he said.

“Every day I feel better, I feel stronger. And every day I watch the appalling situation of politics in Canberra.

“How much lower can we go as a nation with the politicians we’ve got.”

Mr Palmer said that his return at the 2028 poll would be driven from a call to duty rather than a quest for power or pay cheque.

“I“m one of the nation’s wealthiest people,” he said.

“I really don’t need further income or further wealth but I think I do need, at a time of national crisis, to provide some sort of leadership to the nation.”

Mr Palmer bankrolled the previously-unknown Trumpet of Patriots party at the 2025 election, having disbanded the UAP shortly after the 2022 poll, but it failed to win a single seat despite the $53 million campaign.

He is now seeking to re-register the UAP.

The party has one sitting senator, Victorian Ralph Babet, who is up for re-election in 2028.

Mr Palmer opened his press conference to acknowledge the plight of the Iranian women’s soccer team, with several seeking asylum in Australia after their Women’s Asian Cup silent protest.

“I want to donate $10,000 to each soccer player so they’ve got some money to spend here in Australia, so they feel welcome in our country, and they know that they’re not alone,” he said.

“I encourage other wealthy Australians such as Angus Taylor to join me and make my donation.”

Mr Palmer stated several times that he does not believe in the “left or right” debate, instead insisting he’d focus on issues rather than ideological debate.

“We don’t want to have parliamentarians not thinking about ideas or pressing the boundaries left or right to give different choices to the Australian people,” he said.

He also took a swipe at One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and her ballooning support in public polling.

“All respects to Pauline Hanson, she doesn’t seem to have any policies that provide solutions to the Australian people,” he said.

“I have to recognise that Pauline Hanson spent a lot of effort over a long time pointing out what’s wrong with the Australian Government and what needs to be done to fix it.

“But, unfortunately, there hasn’t been policy development in one nation to provide you with solutions.

“What we’re trying to provide is a comprehensive way of what Australia could be.”

Mr Palmer said that he decided to run in the Lower House seat of Fadden after living there for about 15 years.

“That’s my home and I’ve been there for about 15 years,” he said.

“There’s often media that come and gather outside my house.

“Every morning, at 11 o’clock, you’ll see boats outside with tourists pointing fingers at me saying, ‘That’s where Clive Palmer lives’.”