After weeks of infighting, former One Nation senator Brian Burston has announced he's joining billionaire coal baron Clive Palmer's new United Australia Party as its Senate leader.
The announcement came an hour after Burston told the Senate he had resigned from Pauline Hanson's One Nation party and would be sitting as an independent.
Burston claims he did not mislead the Senate, as he only decided to join Palmer half an hour after speaking in the chamber.
Palmer declared on Sunday that he was renewing his political career and rebranding the Palmer United Party as the United Australia Party, although he hasn't committed to running for a lower house seat. He originally tried to register the name United Australia Party in 2013, but reverted to the Palmer United Party after a battle with the Australian Electoral Commission.
The first United Australia Party was founded in 1931 and won four federal elections (in coalition with the Country party) before dissolving in 1945. A precurser to the Liberal Party, the UAP had two prime ministers, Joseph Lyons and Robert Menzies.
This isn't the first time Burston has been a member of party with the name United Australia.
In the 2007 federal election Burston stood for the Senate in NSW as a member of Pauline's United Australia Party and received just under 40,000 votes. Hanson also ran for the Senate in Queensland. Neither were elected and the party was dissolved in 2010.
There is currently no party registered with the Australian Electoral Commission called United Australia.
Palmer said Burston had shown "courage" by quitting One Nation.
"[Burston has shown] a great amount of foresight to stand up for the people who elected him, to aim for their aspirations," he said. "I look forward to a long and happy relationship with him."
At a press conference at Parliament House on Monday morning – that came to an abrupt end after the sprinklers were turned on – Palmer refused to answer questions about his now defunct company Queensland Nickel.
Queensland Labor MP Cathy O'Toole gatecrashed the press conference to ask why he hasn't paid Queensland Nickel employees.
O’Toole: Why aren’t you paying the workers in Herbert district in Townsville the money they are owed? I have got John who is owed $10,000 by you.
Palmer: Let me answer your question.
O’Toole: Laura $7,000, Chris from Bushland Beach $10,000. These people are doing it tough, Clive.
Palmer: We have got to do something — can I answer your question, please? First of all, I announced last week we are reopening a refinery and the Townsville Bulletin ran a poll in Townsville and found that 70% of people supported my plans of doing that. Secondly, I do not owe anyone anything in North Queensland.
O’Toole: They think differently.
Palmer: It is not true.
O’Toole: It is their back pocket. They are not wealthy like you, that is the sad thing.
Palmer: What we have to do is look to the future and get jobs for the country. I sympathise with all people in North Queensland.
O’Toole: Sympathy doesn’t pay their bills.
Palmer: It is not my responsibility to pay the people’s bills.
O’Toole: It is your responsibility to pay your workers their entitlements.
Palmer: I didn’t sack anybody in North Queensland.
O’Toole: They are not seeing it. These people do not have a job.
Palmer: That is not true. If they haven’t got a job after three years ...
O’Toole: We have huge unemployment. Imagine taking 850 jobs out of our community – it nearly killed our community.
Palmer: 70% of people supported us in Townsville to reopen it. We have got to get more jobs open in this country. Another question?
Palmer went on to say that he plans to spend money from his companies, including Queensland Nickel, on his new political party.
"[Of] course the money from my companies that I own 100% will be supporting political lives in Australia," he said. "You people seem to think if I have got money that I own I can’t spend it as I want to. That is a freedom in this country.”
Burston said the new United Australia would bring "integrity back into the Senate" and work with the government to pass tax cuts for businesses.
"The three One Nation senators at the time shook Mathias Cormann's hand to come up with a deal to support the company tax cuts," he said.
"I resigned because Pauline Hanson insisted that I renege on that deal, and I would not do so.
"I am happy to join the United Australia Party. We will unite Australia and we will bring integrity back into the Senate and provide policies and vote on policies that the government might bring forward that will benefit all Australians."
Palmer said his party would be contesting all 150 seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate at the next election and claims 20,000 people have contacted his office.
When pressed by reporters, he also said he was considering running for a seat in the lower house. He previously held the seat of Fairfax from 2013-2016.
Over the last few months Palmer has been running a membership drive for his Palmer United Party on social media. Anyone who applied to become a member of the Palmer United Party will still be a member of the United Australia Party.
Billboards featuring the former member for Fairfax and the words "Make Australia Great" and "Put Australians First" have sprung up around Australia — a move a Palmer spokesperson said was not a political comeback.