Clive Palmer to launch challenge to Western Australia Senate recount  

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that coal baron Clive "Jabba The Hutt" Palmer is planning to challenge the results of the recent recount of the WA Senate votes - even though he himself got into Parliament on a recount. The SMH reports - Clive Palmer to launch challenge to Western Australia Senate recount. The shenanigans in WA are interesting given Scott Ludlam's hobnobbing with Julian Assange during his previous term in the Senate - though its not the only case of votes disappearing so perhaps too much shouldn't be read into it. Crikey suggest there are other ways of settling this instead of having a new election - How to avoid a fresh WA Senate election.

West Australian voters are poised to go back to the polls, with mining magnate Clive Palmer confirming he will launch a challenge to the Senate recount with the High Court.

The Australian Electoral Commission declared late on Saturday the Australian Sports Party's Wayne Dropulich and the Greens' Scott Ludlam had won the final Senate positions in a recount on Saturday – despite the fact 1375 votes remain missing.

The recount reverses the original result, which had knocked Mr Dropulich and Senator Ludlam out at a crucial point in the count, which hung on just 14 votes, installing the Palmer United Party's Zhenya "Dio" Wang and Labor's Louise Pratt.

Mr Dropulich and Senator Ludlam appealed, saying the close result warranted a recount.