PUP boss claws back $400,000

Mega-rich MP Clive Palmer has recouped almost $400,000 in taxpayer funding for his big spending campaign to win a seat in the re-run WA Senate election.

Almost $2.7 million would be paid to political parties that qualified for public funding at the April 5 poll, the Australian Electoral Commission said.

The Liberal Party, which returned three senators, will get $1.089 million. Labor, which won just one seat after polling 21.53 per cent, will receive $688,411.

The Greens will get $499,000 after a 6 per cent swing took its vote to 15.6 per cent.

But Mr Palmer, who by some estimates spent up to $5 million on his party's campaign, will get $395,000 in public funding.

The Palmer United Party polled 12.34 per cent, propelling the relatively unknown Dio Wang into the Senate and boosting Mr Palmer's clout in the Upper House.

Mr Palmer's lawyers served a defamation writ on Queensland Premier Campbell Newman yesterday.

Mr Palmer is suing Mr Newman for $1.1 million over the Premier's comments that he "tried to buy a government".