Analysis
Posted
The United Australia Party's entire policy platform
is about the length of a long text message, yet its leader Clive Palmer
is spending tens of millions of dollars to get your vote.
They have 177 words on the "National Policy" section of their website.It is incredibly rare to see a political party with less detail. I have never seen a political party with so few specifics about what they actually want to do.
There are a few sentences that count as policies, albeit vague.
"Establishing a System where people create wealth in various parts of the country and for that wealth to flow back to the Community that generates the wealth."Or how about this one:
"Creating Mineral Wealth to continuously contribute to the welfare of the Australian community."That is not a policy; it is as detailed as a feeling. It is like saying I like apple pie and mums are great.
Complex promises, vague explanations
In an attempt to find out more details, we made numerous calls to United Australia Party candidates for an interview on ABC Radio Melbourne on Tuesday.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Only one man was willing to put his hand up — Duncan Dean, the candidate for the Melbourne seat of La Trobe.
I asked him for one costed policy his party backed, but he wanted to speak about how many people Clive Palmer had employed. He did not want to answer why Clive Palmer did not pay some of the workers in his Townsville nickel refinery.
After much difficulty naming a detailed policy, he was able to say the party would provide a 20 per cent income tax cut for people and businesses located more than 200 kilometres from any capital city.
"That's what we will bring to the table," Mr Dean said. He could not say how that cut would be paid for.
"It's too late to do anything," he said.
He also could not name any academic institution or think tank that backs the party's vague proposals on company tax.
Candidates in fear of being dumped
When I asked again when Clive Palmer's workers would be paid, he dodged, with this answer: "The real issue is supporting my electorate and I have been doorknocking and circulating around this electorate, hearing what people have got to say and what they want."My final question was whether the candidate Duncan Dean approved of the preference deal with the Liberals. He declined to offer an opinion.
A few Palmer candidates have told me they are afraid to say anything publicly about their party leader, for fear they would be disendorsed.
It is an odd party that so loudly proclaims it will form government, yet has fewer detail in its policies than many other independent candidates.
Strange too, that Palmer's candidates reportedly have to pay back their high advertising costs should they win a seat, but desert the party.
Rafael Epstein has hosted ABC Radio Melbourne's Drive program since 2012. He is a Walkley Award-winner and former current affairs journalist.
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