PUP has 'thousands' of Qld members: Palmer

Clive Palmer has laughed off suggestions his party could face deregistration after it was asked to provide a list of 500 members by Monday afternoon.

Federal MP and leader of the Palmer United Party (PUP) Clive Palmer
Clive Palmer has labelled Queensland premier Campbell Newman a "little Hitler" and says the demand that his party supply the Electoral Commission with a list of 500 members or face deregistration amounts to corruption.

But the maverick MP has laughed off suggestions the Palmer United Party may not have enough members to satisfy the requirement by the deadline on Monday afternoon.

"We've got thousands of them, thousands," Mr Palmer told Fairfax Radio on Monday morning.

"They're oozing out over us."

He alleged electoral officials had requested an electronic copy of 500 member names and addresses so that the list could be passed on to the premier.

"This is a stunt by Campbell Newman," Mr Palmer said.

"No Queenslander should have to declare to the government what political party they belong to. It's freedom of association."

Mr Palmer also flagged a possible high court challenge of electoral laws that necessitated the disclosure of party members.

"We'll give little Hitler his list and he can then start his persecution of them, like he's persecuted everyone throughout the state."

Mr Palmer, once the Liberal National Party's largest donor, has been engaging in a war of words with Mr Newman after he was suspended from the party in late 2012 and subsequently began his own.

At a federal level, PUP has planned a wide-ranging Senate inquiry into the Newman government, which has a reporting date on or before March 27, 2015.

The inquiry is likely to run alongside the next Queensland election.

Mr Palmer bragged that submissions for the inquiry had been "flying in" from all corners of the state.

Earlier on Monday, PUP endorsed James McDonald as its candidate for the Sunshine Coast seat of Maroochydore at the state election.

Mr McDonald, who says he has lived in the region for two years, quit as global marketing director for Mr Palmer's Blue Star Line firm a week ago.


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