Clive Palmer has said he believes One Nation will outpoll the Liberal Party at the next federal election, predicting Pauline Hanson will become the future opposition leader.
The billionaire has also outlined major campaign spending plans for the United Australia Party’s, saying he is willing to spend up to $100 million ahead of the election.
Speaking to The Courier Mail, Mr Palmer said he thought Ms Hanson would move from the Senate to the lower house and that her party would receive more votes than the Liberals.
His prediction was based on “the Liberal party’s current performance because we don’t know what it is,” he told the masthead.
However, the mining magnate suggested Ms Hanson would not be able to retain a large number of newly elected One Nation MPs in her party.
The One Nation leader had a “track record with people who’ve resigned when they’ve been appointed as One Nation members,” he told the publication.
“It’s a difficult thing to stand at a national election with 140 or 150 candidates,” Mr Palmer said.
Mr Palmer, who had spent $7 million sending UAP brochures to households, also said he was willing to spend up to $100 million on the party’s federal election campaign.
Victorian Senator Ralph Babet is currently the UAP’s sole representative in parliament.
It comes after the latest Sky News Pulse / YouGov poll revealed One Nation continued to lead the Coalition in the primary vote.
The polling, conducted from July 7-14, showed Labor had returned to the top of the primary vote on 28 per cent, ahead of One Nation on 26 per cent and the Coalition on 20 per cent.
In the latest survey, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese continued to hold a lead over Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson as the nation’s most preferred leader.