International

Mining magnate edges closer to winning seat in Australia poll

01 Oct 2013 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Australian mining entrepreneur Clive Palmer on Tuesday edged closer to winning a seat in the national parliament, where his start-up Palmer United Party could pose major problems for new conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The self-described billionaire and resort owner who plans to build a replica of the Titanic finished seven votes ahead of his nearest rival in his Queensland electorate of Fairfax after the official count of more than 89,000 votes.

But Palmer now faces an agonising wait as election officials carry out a recount automatically triggered by any result closer than 100 votes.

"The Divisional Returning Officer, Fairfax, will now proceed with a formal recount of over 89,000 votes cast by electors for the division," the Australian electoral commission said in a statement.

Palmer was not available to comment on the election result.

Palmer, who made his initial fortune in Queensland real estate, cashed in on a huge protest vote against the major parties at Australia's September 7 elections.

The outspoken Palmer was once the biggest donor and member of the Queensland's conservative Liberal-National Party until he quit in late 2012 to set up his own Palmer United Party.

The initial count gave Palmer 42,337 votes compared to 42,330 votes for the Liberal-National Party candidate, with almost 5,000 votes ruled invalid.

Palmer ran on a platform of slashing income and fringe benefits taxes, while also boosting pensions and health spending and making home loans tax deductible to encourage housing construction.

If he wins a seat, he will have no impact on Abbott's ability to control a majority in the lower house of Parliament. But Palmer's party has won at least two seats in the upper house Senate, where Abbott could need Palmer's support to pass legislation and to scrap a carbon tax and a mining tax.

Palmer lists litigation as one of his hobbies, and his company Mineralogy remains involved in legal action with China's CITIC Pacific Ltd, over royalties and port access for CITIC's $8 billion Sino Iron project, which is on land leased from Palmer.

(Reporting by James Grubel; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

(Source : Reuters)

International

Mining magnate edges closer to winning seat in Australia poll

Most Popular Articles

Canadian boy dies of rabies after waking to bat on his face

Germany bans workers from calling in sick

Woman suspected of Monaco bombing found shot dead near Kyiv

Boy driving pickup truck crashes into group of Thai monks, killing 8

Couple transforms AC train coach into ‘honeymoon coupe’, Indian Railways takes action

Indonesian couple publicly caned for kissing on TikTok

Latest News

Missing repeater firearm recovered at Negombo Prison

5,000 kidney patients stuck in surgery queue

US$2.5 Mn loan repayment loss a definite cybercrime and theft: COPF chief

Intermittent rain, dense fog disrupt traffic in Central Hills

Factory fire kills at least 28 in China’s ’shoe capital’