CLIVE Palmer’s United Australia Party has selected a Torquay Christian pastor as its candidate for Corangamite upcoming Federal election.<\/p>\n
Daniel Abou-zeid, whole fly the UAP flag at yet to be confirmed nation poll, said a primary policy focus is an opposition to COVID-19 restrictions including lockdowns, mandatory vaccinations and masks.<\/p>\n
“We’re campaigning on anti-lockdown mandates,” Mr Abou-zeid said.<\/p>\n
The 42-year-old has been a pastor at Torquay’s evangelical Elevate Church since 2015.<\/p>\n
Mr Abou-zeid said the Liberal Democrats’ Paul Barker, a Surf Coast Shire councillor, will be second behind the UAP on his how to vote cards, but further preference deals are yet to be announced.<\/p>\n
The pair are running against Labor’s Libby Coker who sits on a knife edge margin in the seat.<\/p>\n
Clive Palmer’s UAP is again splashing huge amounts of money on election advertising, reportedly having spent more than $30 million already since last August, far outstripping all the major parties combined.<\/p>\n
The party is being led by controversial former Liberal party MP Craig Kelly, who faces an uphill battle for re-election in his NSW electorate of Hughes.<\/p>\n
Mr Kelly quit the Liberal party at the start of 2021, claiming he was told to “shut up” and stop promoting medically unproven COVID-19 treatments by Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s office or he would be dropped as the party candidate in his seat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CLIVE Palmer’s United Australia Party has selected a Torquay Christian pastor as its candidate for Corangamite upcoming Federal election. Daniel Abou-zeid, whole fly the UAP flag at yet to be confirmed nation poll, said a primary policy focus is an opposition to COVID-19 restrictions including lockdowns, mandatory vaccinations and masks. “We’re campaigning on anti-lockdown mandates,” […]<\/p>\n