National Party defector George Christensen appears on track to receive a $105,000 taxpayer-funded payout after his decision to contest an unwinnable position on a One Nation Senate ticket.
Mr Christensen was due to retire as the Liberal National Party member for Dawson. However, he has now joined One Nation, announcing this morning he will run for the party in the Senate in Queensland.
But according to ABC election analyst Antony Green, Mr Christensen's position as the third candidate on the ticket means he cannot possibly be elected.
"Barring a massive [below-the-line] vote, he cannot possibly be elected unless One Nation polls a minimum of 28.6 per cent, and more likely the party would need 35 per cent," ABC election analyst Antony Green posted on social media.
"One Nation's previous highest [Queensland] vote was 14.8 per cent in 1998."
It will mean Mr Christensen will be eligible for a little-known entitlement called the resettlement allowance, which is a one-off payment worth six months' salary, or in his case about $105,000 a year — money he would not otherwise receive.
It is for MPs who leave parliament involuntarily, either by losing their seat or their party preselection.
The vocal critic of COVID-19 restrictions and vaccinations had declared his intention to retire from Parliament, after holding the regional Queensland seat of Dawson for the Nationals since 2010.
Last week he quit the Liberal National Party, concerned the Nationals had surrendered their conservative values during the merger with the Liberal Party in Queensland.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson confirmed on Wednesday morning Mr Christensen would be the party's third Senate candidate.
"It has come as no surprise to many people that for a long while I have diverged with the views of the government — most notably around the issue of vaccine mandates," Mr Christensen said.
"But also on a range of things including the push for a net zero, which I think will be net zero jobs."
He said Senator Hanson had approached him, after he announced he was leaving parliament, and he had agreed to run for the Senate.
At the 2019 election, Mr Christensen recorded a massive 11.3 per cent swing toward him in Dawson — something Coalition members put down to his personal brand in North Queensland.
Senator Hanson on Wednesday committed to fielding candidates in all 151 House of Representatives contests.
"The people have indicated they have had enough of the major political parties — Liberal, Labor and the Greens and the Nationals," Senator Hanson said.
"They are looking for change, they are looking for representation, looking for people who will represent them on the floor of parliament with integrity and honesty."
She rejected suggestions Mr Christensen's attempt to enter the Upper House would be fruitless, and said she would not be asking the party's second Senate candidate to make way for the former Coalition MP.
Critics accuse Christensen of chasing taxpayer-funded payday
Labor's Murray Watt accused Mr Christensen and Senator Hanson of simply chasing a taxpayer-funded payday.
"If he boosts her vote, her party gets more public funding. With Hanson, it’s always about the money," Senator Watt tweeted.
"So Christensen gets more money if he runs and loses. One Nation gets more money if Christensen boosts her vote. And you pay."
Senator Watt's suggestion Mr Christensen will get "more money" refers to the allowance MPs get when leaving parliament, noting the higher rate given to politicians defeated at an election as opposed to simply retiring.
Mr Christensen denied suggestions that he was hoping to cash in on contesting an unwinnable spot on the One Nation Senate ticket.
Firebrand MP's trail of controversy
George Christensen has been no stranger to controversy during his time in Federal Parliament, causing a number of headaches for Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government during the COVID-19 crisis.
The firebrand MP has been one of the most vocal critics of pandemic restrictions, and quit a lucrative position as a chair of a parliamentary committee after urging parents to avoid getting their children vaccinated against COVID-19.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, also Mr Christensen's leader in the Nationals party room, were repeatedly called on to reprimand the Queensland backbencher for peddling his theories.
Mr Joyce dismissed Mr Christensen's criticism, after he resigned from the party, that the Nationals had strayed from its conservative foundations.
During a speech to Parliament last year, Mr Christensen likened COVID-19 restrictions to the despotic regimes of Nazi Germany and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
Last year, he said he was quitting Parliament to spend more time with his young family.
In 2017, Mr Christensen quit his role as National Party whip, arguing he was constrained from speaking his mind on policies.
