At one stage the mining billionaire accidentally referred to his new political party, the Trumpet of Patriots, as the ‘Trumpet of Parrots’. Well, if the shoe fits …Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast“It will break the Guardian’s website.”So came the heads-up from an unusually tight-lipped Ralph Babet when pressed for details before a “major political announcement” that his benefactor Clive Palmer was planning for Wednesday morning in Canberra.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading…At one stage the mining billionaire accidentally referred to his new political party, the Trumpet of Patriots, as the ‘Trumpet of Parrots’. Well, if the shoe fits …Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast“It will break the Guardian’s website.”So came the heads-up from an unusually tight-lipped Ralph Babet when pressed for details before a “major political announcement” that his benefactor Clive Palmer was planning for Wednesday morning in Canberra.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading…
“It will break the Guardian’s website.”
So came the heads-up from an unusually tight-lipped Ralph Babet when pressed for details before a “major political announcement” that his benefactor Clive Palmer was planning for Wednesday morning in Canberra.
After last week’s failed high court bid to re-register United Australia party, Palmer was without a party through which to pour his millions in the final election before campaign spending caps – designed precisely to curb his influence – come into force.
Surely, Palmer would not miss his last dance?
No, no he would not.
Summoned to one of Parliament House’s small alcoves at 11am, the Canberra press pack were greeted with a pull-up banner featuring a grinning Palmer, arm-in-arm with a grinning Tucker Carlson, the rightwing US commentator who the mining magnate brought to Australia for a “freedom tour” last year.
Above the smiling faces were the words “Trumpet of Patriots” and a golden lion blowing a golden horn; the name and logo of Palmer’s latest political party.
Donald Trump may not feature on the branding but Palmer’s new mission is shaped entirely in the image of the new US president.
“Trumpet of Patriots will make Australia great again,” the billionaire declared from behind a lectern.
Palmer said he wanted to import Trump’s agenda to Australia, vowing to drain the Canberra “swamp”, adopt an Elon Musk-inspired assault on government “waste” and ban transgender athletes from women’s sports.
After heavily targeting Bill Shorten and Labor at the 2019 election, Palmer has put the Coalition in the crosshairs.
Why?
“Peter Dutton has stated that he’s no Donald Trump, and we agree with him,” he said.
At one point, Palmer misnamed the party “Trumpet of Parrots”, drawing awkward laughter from the assembled journalists and supporters.
Parrots, indeed.
Palmer didn’t have time to register a new political party before the 2025 election, forcing him to find an existing one to run candidates under.
After failed talks to merge with Pauline Hanson late last year, Palmer said Trumpet for Patriots invited him to join the fringe outfit after the high court ruling.
He will act as chair of the party, which is encouraging UAP members – which allegedly number 82,000 – to shift allegiances.
The 71-year-old won’t run as a candidate, leaving Suellen Wrightson – a former UAP candidate – to lead Trumpet of Patriots and “be the next prime minister of Australia”.
The mining billionaire made a similar prediction about then UAP leader Craig Kelly before the 2022 election.
Kelly did not come close to winning and Palmer’s $123m campaign spending blitz yielded just one seat: Babet’s place in the Senate.
Babet, for his part, was a happy onlooker at Wednesday’s press conference but has decided not to join Palmer’s new venture.
When former ABC political editor Andrew Probyn put to him that the notion of prime minister Wrightson was “plainly potty”, Palmer replied “it is certainly not potty”, before making an unsubstantiated claim that more than 30% of Australians supported Trump’s policies.
Such predictions are patently absurd and unserious.
But that doesn’t mean the man and his money shouldn’t be taken seriously.
After spending millions on television and newspaper ads campaigning against Covid vaccine mandates and lockdowns during the 2022 campaign, Palmer is preparing to again open his wallet to push his Trump-inspired agenda.
“I’m more than happy to spend my funds defending the right of free speech, and whatever is required to be spent will be spent,” he said.
Palmer said he hasn’t chosen where to direct Trumpet of Patriots preferences, a decision that could be consequential in an election where the major parties vote is expected to decline further.
Asked about Palmer on Wednesday, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the billionaire’s big spending political campaigns – which have included television ads in recent months – were a “distortion of democracy”.
“I’ve seen these strange ads have been appearing for months now,” he said.
“I’m not sure what the objective of them is.”