I'm betting that his intention of running a shit ton of candidates is he expects to garner enough first preference votes in each state he runs in order to meet the minimum requirement for electoral funding in each state and / or as many electorates as possible.
If the candidates on the ground receive no payment and he scoops it all up, he can fund as much as possible of his spend to re-enter politics, with a considerable amount at the expense of the taxpayer.
This would make more sense if he is running for the senate as having a candidate in each electorate in the state in which he stands is likely to help him garner more votes in the senate.
If it all turns to shit, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a litany of claims finding their way to court.