Federal election 2019: Clive Palmer candidate Stewart Hine tries to trade ad spend for favourable coverage

Updated

A candidate for Clive Palmer's United Australia Party (UAP) tried to trade favourable coverage in a regional newspaper for a slice of the party's multi-million-dollar advertising budget.

Key points: A candidate for Clive Palmer's United Australia Party approached a regional newspaper encouraging them to feature his media release

He claimed supportive coverage would help "leverage" more advertising spending in the paper

It comes as the UAP conducts a multi-million-dollar national advertising blitz

In an email seen by the ABC, Mr Palmer's candidate for the Victorian seat of Nicholls, Stewart Hine, approached the Shepparton News suggesting supportive coverage would give him "leverage" in discussions with the UAP about buying advertising space with the paper.

It has been estimated the UAP has spent tens of millions of dollars on election advertising, with UAP senator Brian Burston predicting the figure will top $60 million by the end of the campaign.

Mr Hine, who runs a mortgage broker company called "I'll Show You The Money," is one of eight candidates in Nicholls, an electorate in Victoria's north which was formerly known as Murray and is comfortably held by Nationals MP Damien Drum.

On April 10, Mr Hine sent an email offering "exclusive" access to his media release about the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and suggested the days he wanted it published.

His approach was also made to the Country News, a weekly newspaper published by McPherson Media Group, which also owns the Shepparton News.

"Rather than sending the attached press release to my entire media list, I thought I would offer it to you guys first as an exclusive with a view to having it published in the daily Shepparton News, preferably on Friday, and the next edition of Country News which will be included [in] all your weeklies," Mr Hine's email reads.

"That would suit my purposes and give me some leverage with getting UAP advertising in your papers, as I understand it all our press advertising is being placed in the Shepparton Adviser at this point.

"I am in discussions about changing that but I would like to get my media department's attention by showing them that you are supporting us by publishing our press releases."

His offer was quickly rebuffed by the editor of the Shepparton News, Cameron Whiteley, whose response stated that "decisions made on editorial content are based on news value".

In response to the paper's rejection, Mr Hine responded, "yeah, I get that."

Mr Hine told the ABC he regretted his approach, but denied it amounted to an offer of cash for comment. He said his approach was not due to a broader directive by the UAP to offer independent regional newspapers a financial incentive for news coverage.

"I can't tell you how much I regret sending that email," Mr Hine said.

"It was ill-advised and not approved by my party."

He declined to answer further questions about the advertising budget assigned to each candidate, and the UAPs broader strategy regarding its enormous national spend on television, print and radio promotions.

It is understood the strategy was discussed at a UAP team meeting attended by candidates which was held at Mr Palmer's Coolum resort in mid-April.

Newspaper calls candidate's approach 'unusual'

Mr Whiteley said in a statement to the ABC that candidates often complained about the nature of coverage, or the lack thereof, but he had never been offered advertising in exchange for favourable articles.

"I found it to be an unusual request and an approach of this nature from a politician or political candidate is not something I have encountered before," he said.

"Regional newspapers are, of course, very reliant on display advertising.

"However, most of them are afflicted with a fierce independent spirit and trading favourable political coverage for advertising is not something we would entertain."

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On the same day Mr Hine sent the email, a full-page UAP advertisement appeared on page 11 of The Adviser, a free weekly newspaper which circulates in the Goulburn Valley region. A short article about Mr Hine's candidacy appeared on page 22 of the same edition.

David Lee, editorial writer for The Adviser, said the article, and subsequent coverage of Mr Hine, had not been linked to UAP advertising.

Mr Hine told the ABC it was a coincidence that a full-page advertisement appeared in The Adviser on the same day he approached the Shepparton News.

Hine one in a sea of UAP candidates

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has faced repeated attacks from Bill Shorten and the Labor Party after it was revealed the Liberal Party had struck a preference deal with Clive Palmer's United Australia Party.

The UAP will appear just under the Nationals on how-to-vote cards.

The party has endorsed 151 candidates across every seat in the country, the majority of whom are entirely new to politics.

Mr Hine lives in Melbourne's outer south-east and was an independent candidate for the Upper House in last year's Victorian state election, receiving 62 first preference votes.

His policies largely relate to water and scrapping the Murray-Darling Basin Plan — a similar refrain to other UAP candidates in seats bordering the river system.

In a "Meet your Candidates" article published by The Adviser on April 24, Mr Hine was asked about the most important topic for the electorate.

"The three most important topics are water, water and water," he said.

The UAP declined the ABC's request for comment.

Aggressive media spend continues unchecked

Clive Palmer's ubiquitous advertising spend has been the subject of conjecture and sharp criticism.

For months, Mr Palmer's face has been plastered across billboards in capital cities and regional areas and on prime-time television commercials.

The cost of the media campaign has been estimated at $30 to $50 million, although Senator Burston told the ABC's 7.30 he believed it would reach $60 million.

It comes despite Mr Palmer owing $7 million to former employees at the collapsed Queensland Nickel refinery — a figure he said yesterday had been transferred into a trust to pay back workers.

The Government is still attempting to recover a further $70 million in taxpayer dollars from Mr Palmer. The matter will be heard after the election in a trial scheduled for July.

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Topics: government-and-politics, federal-elections, federal-parliament, minor-parties, clive-palmer, australia, shepparton-3630

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