Peter Slipper joins Clive Palmer's United Australia Party Peter Slipper. Former federal parliamentary speaker Peter Slipper has joined Clive Palmer's United Australia Party. But Mr Palmer, who formed the party two weeks ago, said the Member for Fisher would not be running under the UAP banner in Mr Slipper's Sunshine Coast seat. Mr Palmer said the UAP had endorsed Bill Schoch, the manager of Mr Palmer's Coolum Resort, to stand in Mr Slipper's seat. "Under our constitution, when we have an endorsed candidate for a seat, which we do have in Fisher ... if another member of the party wants to stand, they're not prohibited from standing," he said. But they're not standing as an endorsed candidate, they'd be standing as an independent or something. ..."I don't know if Peter Slipper's standing or not standing - I've got no idea." Speaking to Fairfax Media about 25 minutes before a UAP media release announcing Mr Slipper's membership, Mr Palmer said he had been in the dark over the move. He said he had been told by people within the party organisation that "they were talking (to Mr Slipper) " but he had not realised he had joined. I don't know because I don't do the memberships. If you go to unitedaustralia.org, anyone can join," Mr Palmer said. What I would say is anyone in Australia is welcome to join, you can't discriminate against anyone for any reason. Under Australian Electoral Commission rules, parties cannot be registered unless they have 500 members or has "at least one Commonwealth Parliamentarian" who is a member of the party. Mr Palmer's party is yet to be registered. Mr Slipper's membership alone would qualify the UAP, but Mr Palmer said the party would meet the membership quota regardless. Mr Slipper left the Liberal Party in acrimonious circumstances in 2011, when the Gillard government used its numbers to appoint him Speaker, and he has sat in Parliament as an independent since. In the Sunshine Coast Daily late last month, Mr Slipper expressed his support for Mr Palmer's tilt for the neighbouring seat of Fairfax. "Clive Palmer is a very successful businessman and I suspect his campaign would be well-funded and resourced," Mr Slipper said in a text message to the paper. I imagine his candidacy would be viewed by many Fairfax residents as being more attractive than that of the LNP. Comment has been sought from Mr Slipper.