Karin Hunter with Clive Palmer
Karin Hunter of the Palmer United Party is a local teacher and businesswoman. ‘I have found Clive Palmer to be refreshingly honest and upfront, and a great advocate for the pensioners, veterans, sick, and the community,’ she said, before explaining the five ways her party differs from the LNP.
The PUP would repeal the carbon tax and refund all payments made to date; they would ban lobbyists from having a role in political parties; they would support the development of mineral processing within Australia, to ‘create jobs, build export revenue and a stronger balance of payments’; they would direct wealth generated in the regions back into those regions; and they would create a more humane response to asylum seekers.
The Greens have recently announced that they will preference the PUP in some seats because of the last of these policies.
Hunter says the PUP believes it would be cheaper and more humane to fly refugees to Australia and process them on arrival, providing they have a valid passport. ‘The PUP would abolish detention centres and keep families together’, adding, ‘we should recognise they have legitimate rights”.
According to her, people are responding well to the more positive message of the PUP and they have had 3 million hits on their website. The party has struck a deal with the KAP and will preference them second.
