Palmer faces party registration delay

Businessman Clive Palmer will wait until August or September to register his new political party.

Because writs have been issued for five federal by-elections, the political party register held by the Australian Electoral Commission is frozen.

This means even if Mr Palmer has already applied to register his United Australia Party he must wait until the writs have been returned for the by-elections, which will be on or before September 23.

Mr Palmer announced on Monday he had recruited former One Nation senator Brian Burston to his new party, which will enable it to meet the registration criteria without having the usually required 500 grassroots members.