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Palmer on hunt for new Qld candidates

Billionaire MP Clive Palmer is seeking prospective candidates to run in the next Queensland election.

Clive Palmer opens a door in Canberra
Billionaire MP Clive Palmer is seeking candidates to run in the next Queensland election. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Clive Palmer is going on an early recruitment drive to find candidates to stand for his party in the next Queensland election.

The billionaire MP's home state gave his Palmer United Party 11 per cent of its primary vote in the September federal election.

Party director Peter Burke said support for the fledgling party had continued to grow.

He said PUP's solid support in Queensland would pose a "serious challenge" to Premier Campbell Newman's dominant Liberal National Party (LNP) government at the 2015 poll.

"Since the federal election, we have received massive interest from a wide range of worthy people who want to be candidates at the Queensland election and I expect we will field a very strong team," Mr Burke said in a statement.

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PUP is already represented by MPs Carl Judge and Alex Douglas, following their high-profile defections from the LNP in the wake of their former parties trouncing of Labor in 2012.

Although the prospect is unlikely, Mr Palmer has already vowed to repeal all of the Newman government's legislation should his party win power at the next election.

Mr Burke said dissatisfaction with the current government was helping PUP's recruitment drive.

"Queenslanders can't wait for the next state election to punish Campbell Newman with their votes for his government selling our schools and hospitals and outsourcing services," he said.

"Campbell Newman has turned Queensland into an economic basket case with poor management and savage cuts to public sector jobs and budget spending.

"We will clean up his mess."

Nominations will close at the end of January.


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