After a notorious federal election campaign, the yellow billboards are almost all gone. The unsolicited text messages, cheery jingles, and ads from the United Australia Party are no more. As is the party.
Following its establishment in 2018, and its noisy presence in the political landscape - largely fuelled by its multi-million dollar spend on advertising - the UAP has come to an abrupt end.
The party founded by mining magnate Clive Palmer, formerly known as Clive Palmer's United Australia Party and the Palmer United Party, was voluntarily deregistered on 8 September.
A notice published on the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website confirmed the deregistration.
But the move seemed a shock to the party's lone Senator, Ralph Babet, when the Sydney Morning Herald asked him why it had been done.
Mr Babet initially told the paper the party had not been deregistered, but when told about the AEC notice, said he had known, but forgotten about the move.
The Senator said the party was deregistered for "administrative reasons", the paper reported, and said the party had made similar moves before, "to save on the administration".
But that reasoning has been shut down by a former UAP member.
Jamal Daoud, who ran in the inner-west Sydney seat of Reid and is currently suing the party for election costs, said there were talks of deregistration months ago.
He said the discussion started right after the May federal election when it looked like not a single lower house or upper house candidate would be elected.
Candidates had run in all 151 lower house seats. The UAP managed to secure just one seat in the Senate.
“After I left, other members contacted me in early June,” he told The Feed.
“At that time they were talking about saving money because the registration without a seat will cost a lot of money - which is a lie.”
A vandalised United Australia Party billboard on Sydney's Parramatta Road. Credit: Reddit Sydney thread
But, the application fee to register a parliamentary party or a non-parliamentary party (a party without a sitting member) had a fee of $500.
The price is a small fraction of the costly campaign the UAP paid in the lead-up to the May election, which it told The Feed cost up to $100 million.
'It's a lie ... they deregistered to avoid accountability'
Mr Daoud suspects it was disgruntled party members and post-election discussions for more order in the party which spurred the deregistration.
“At the time a lot of people were talking about internal democracy and the need for general meetings [in the party],” he told The Feed.
“They deregistered to avoid any accountability, to avoid any transparency and to avoid any liability.”
The news of the UAP’s deregistration took him by surprise.
UAP candidate for Bruce, Matt Babet (left), UAP leader Craig Kelly and UAP Victorian Senator, Ralph Babet. Credit: Matt Babet Facebook Page
“When there was news Ralph could get the seat, they said they would continue [as a party]. Then when the news came on Friday, everyone was in shock, I was in shock,” Mr Daoud said.
“How can you leave Ralph without a party? But this is what the UAP does.”
Without a party, can Ralph Babet still represent the UAP?
Despite the move, election and opinion poll expert Kevin Bonham said it may be possible for UAP's only elected member to continue to sit in parliament as a representative of the UAP.
"As I understand it, what the Senate recognises as a party and what the party registration system recognises as a party are two separate things," he told SBS News.
"So if the Senate chooses to keep calling him a United Australia Party senator, then they can."
What does this mean for the future of the UAP? Will Clive Palmer remain in politics?
It's not the first time the party was deregistered. It happened in 2016, and again in 2017, before it was revived in 2018 as its current iteration.
Mr Babet has vowed the party is not going anywhere and will be registered again.
“Because I am a Senator, the party has a right to re-register at any time and in the meantime, we will not be directed by an unelected body of public servants under the control of Government," Mr Babet said in a media release published on Monday.
“While the existing political parties seek to undermine us and spread rumours about our members, we remain loyal to the principles of our party.
“I remain loyal to the party, its founder, and all that we stand for”.
He declined to be interviewed by The Feed.
What exactly lies ahead for Clive Palmer's involvement in the party is yet to be seen, but a spokesperson from Mr Babet's office said Mr Palmer will still be involved in the party.
The Feed has contacted Clive Palmer through the UAP for comment.
Clive Palmer Source: AAP
His office also confirmed an imminent statement outlining the plans for the party to run in the Victorian state election.
In the meantime, Mr Babet says he will still call himself a member of the UAP and use the branding.
With Charis Chang
