A THIRD political party has announced it will field a candidate in the seat of Barker at the federal election due in the first half of 2019.
Queensland politician and businessman Clive Palmer has revealed his re-badged United Australia Party will contest every seat in the House of Representatives.
The identity of the candidate for Barker is not yet known.
Sitting Liberal member since 2013 Tony Pasin has been endorsed unopposed for a third tilt in office, Meningie resident Rosa Merlino will represent the Greens, while there is media speculation the Nationals will again run a candidate in Barker.
Mr Pasin told The Border Watch he welcomed a contest.
“I expect a field of candidates to run for all seats, including Barker,” Mr Pasin said.
“This is what makes our democracy strong, that every three years the people are given the opportunity to decide who will best represent them in our national parliament.
“I anticipate a well fought campaign for the privilege of representing the people of Barker from all candidates.”
In recent weeks, Mr Palmer bought air-time on commercial radio in the Barker electorate and other regions.
He served as the member for Fairfax from 2013-16 when his political group was known as the Palmer United Party.
This party was represented in the seat of Barker in the 2013 poll by Riverland resident Balwinder Singh Jhandi and he polled almost 4pc of the primary vote in a field of seven candidates.
According to Mr Palmer who is the federal leader, the United Australia Party is linked to the long-defunct party of the same name which held office at the national level in the 1930s and 1940s.
Mr Palmer said political courage would be a key characteristic for United Australia Party candidates when pre-selection gets under way in the coming months.
He said the current political climate requires both fortitude and resilience to not just discuss, but solve the real issues Australians face in their everyday lives.
“Possessing political courage does not mean having the nerve to spew out divisive rhetoric simply to grab attention,” Mr Palmer said.
“It’s about bringing new ideas to the table and opening up a real discussion in the community leading to effective, practical solutions.”
