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Palmer United party's parliamentary leader in Queensland resigns Palmer United party appoints new Queensland leader after MP quits
(about 3 hours later)
Dr Alex Douglas has resigned as parliamentary leader of the Palmer United party in Queensland. Clive Palmer has declared his faith in his party’s remaining Queensland parliamentarian following the sudden resignation of MP Alex Douglas.
Douglas announced his resignation in a media release on Monday. The Palmer United party announced on Monday via a statement that its executive had appointed its remaining Queensland MP, Carl Judge, as the party’s new state leader.
He said he also planned to resign from the party. The member for Gaven, Alex Douglas, announced his resignation from the role in a press release on Monday.
Douglas claimed PUP candidates had been preselected for the next state election without any input from himself or rank-and-file members. Douglas said PUP candidates for next year’s state election were pre-selected without his input and implied there was a culture of cronyism.
He said endorsing the candidates would be against his principles of openness, accountability and honesty. In PUP’s statement that followed, Palmer didn’t comment directly on the split with Douglas.
“I regret that I have had to take these actions, but I am reliably informed that a list of pre-selected candidates for the Queensland state election will be announced today on the Palmer United party’s website,” the statement said. Instead, the mining billionaire and federal MP said the member for Yeerongpilly, Carl Judge, had the “qualities and strength of character” to lead the party into the next state election.
“I have had no involvement in the preselection of candidates. From my understanding this process does not reflect principles which I firmly support.” He also said Judge would contest attorney-general Jarrod Bleijie’s Sunshine Coast seat of Kawana at the next election.
The Gaven MP implied there was a culture of cronyism in the party, and in the Liberal National party, which he quit in November 2012 to join PUP. “Carl Judge has a strong commitment to Queensland and he has the character to lead the party to confront the many challenges the state now faces,” Palmer said.
“I do not support ‘jobs for the boys’,” he said. “I publicly stated there was a culture in the LNP, and there still is, of looking after mates and relatives, and that I do not support these flawed ideas. He added that business owner Jim MacAnally had been endorsed as the party’s candidate for the Gold Coast seat of Burleigh at next year’s election.
“The public are crying out for politicians to be open, accountable, honest and are looking for committed community champions to represent them.” Palmer said PUP would announce more candidates in coming weeks “under the accordance of the provisions of the party’s constitution”.
The current government and Premier Campbell Newman had “run government without proper recognition of LNP members and due process”, the PUP leader said.
He added that Judge “knows you need to work as a team” and the Palmer United party has “maintained integrity within the community in Queensland”.
In the same statement, Judge said he was honoured and was looking forward to leading the party at the next state election.