BILLIONAIRE miner Clive Palmer says he will contest the seat of Fairfax on the Sunshine Coast and wants to be prime minister.

Mr Palmer launched his United Australia Party this morning and said candidates would run in all 150 lower house seats.

"I’m running to be the prime minister of Australia," Mr Palmer said.

"I am standing because I think I can offer better service to the community than anyone else."

Mr Palmer said he had "made enough wealth" and was seeking to enter parliament at the September 14 election because he wanted to "serve the Australian people".

"Now is the time for Australia to claim back itself," he said.

Mr Palmer said there was very little difference between the Labor and Liberal parties.

"I am fed up with watching television and seeing Tony Abbott who is no different to Julia Gillard," he said.

media_camera Clive Palmer announces his run for Federal Parliament saying he wants to be prime minister. Picture: Mark Calleja

Mr Palmer said over coming weeks "major figures in politics, in this nation’s history" would join his party.

"They will make a courageous stand to get government back for the people," he said.

He said the UAP was not intended to compete with Bob Katter’s Australia Party.

"We are not there to offer or to compete with the Katter party we are there to change the government of this nation and that’s the reason we are standing."

Palmer's run labelled 'a stunt'

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd, a Queensland MP, said he was surprised that Mr Palmer had waited until just five months before the September poll to unveil his true intentions.

"Anyone in Australia can stick their hand up and have a go, it’s democracy," Mr Rudd told the Seven Network’s Sunrise program.

"But the thing with Clive is why on earth are you doing it now? If you are going to run and you are going to put a lot of money in behind your campaign, at least the Australian people have the right to put you under some scrutiny about what policies you would take to an election and whether they should be supported or not.

“I think this last-minute stunt like Clive has got in mind is not good because people want to know what you would change."

Mr Palmer, the founder of Queensland resource giant Mineralogy, has previously been a massive donor to the Liberal National Party, but relinquished his membership last year due to differences.

Last night he confirmed he would seek to re-form the United Australia Party, which was dissolved in 1945.

The former life member of the Liberal National Party said the new UAP would contest 127 lower house seats in the September federal election, and stand for all seats in the Senate.

Julia Gillard this morning lashed Mr Palmer for claiming neither big political party cared about indigenous infant mortality.

"That claim is complete rubbish from Mr Palmer," the Prime Minister told ABC Radio in Darwin.

"We’ve been very focused on indigenous mortality rates, child mortality … so the facts are always good to acquaint yourself with and I suggest Mr Palmer acquaint himself with those facts."

On Mr Palmer’s plan to enter politics, Ms Gillard said it was a matter entirely for him.

"It’s all a question for Mr Palmer and the appropriate party registration processes," she said.

Last year Mr Palmer said he would seek LNP pre-selection in Wayne Swan’s Brisbane-based electorate of Lilley, but pulled out at the last minute. He has also nominated Mr Rudd’s electorate of Griffith and Bob Katter’s seat of Kennedy.

This morning Mr Swan said Labor would never "bow to vested interests like Mr Palmer". He said Mr Palmer was only seeking to enter politics because he was "pretty upset that he doesn’t control LNP".

Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey said Mr Palmer was a "fairly unique individual".

"He is out there in his own orbit and he is entitled to that place," Mr Hockey said.

"I’m with Kevin, I want to see his policy."

Deputy Liberal Leader Julie Bishop said Mr Palmer was entitled to put his hand up for election, but that if voters wanted real change they should vote for the Coalition on September 14.

"I welcome a contest of ideas," she said.

Palmer seeks to crush "Uniting Australia Party"



Mr Palmer has promised to crush an attempt by the "Uniting Australia Party" to register with the Australian Electoral Commission and has until May 24 to dispute its claim to the similar-sounding name.

But his fury is unlikely to move the Australian Electoral Commission, given that his own party is yet to appear on the register of parties.

Mr Palmer - whose nephew Blair Brewster last year trademarked the United Australia Party - says he will "absolutely" lodge an objection on the basis of the similarity between the two names, despite only learning of the new party on Wednesday when contacted by The Courier-Mail.

"They can't do that because we've got the trademark for the United Australia Party and we'll object to it," he said.

But the trademark may not be enough to convince the AEC to reject the name, which would leave Mr Palmer until only May 13 to lodge an application for a new name for the September Federal election.

Mr Palmer's proposed United Australia Party does not appear on the AEC's Current Register of Political Parties.

Meanwhile, the Uniting Australia Party, registered by Daniel Watt of Daisy Hill and nine other party members, lists preventing the sale of farming land to "non-nationals" as its top priority.

It also aims to "stop the lifelong perks of ex-prime ministers and MPs".

Secretary John Smith said the party had already amassed 700 members and planned to enter four candidates in the Queensland senate race, and candidates were being sought for a possible push for Lower House seats.

Mr Smith, who said the party had "nothing to do with Clive Palmer", said he was confident the billionaire's objection would not be upheld by the AEC.

"There's no stoush over the name as far as the electoral commission is concerned," he said.

"There was a worry if he had registered it with the AEC, then we probably wouldn't have been able to use it. But he's not a registered party."

Prior to the state election, Bob Katter was forced to drop "The Australian Party" as an abbreviation for his party as it sounded too similar to other names bearing the word "Australian".

An AEC spokesman declined to comment on the dispute.

Originally published as Palmer: I want to be PM