Clive Palmer denies knowing his company contracted work to James Ashby

JAMES Ashby's company has built election materials for several political groups - including the Palmer United Party, causing a headache for its leader.

CLIVE Palmer's business empire contracted work to James Ashby and is campaigning for office with political signs made by the controversial staffer behind the Peter Slipper sexual harassment affair.

In a twist in the saga, Mr Ashby has confirmed his signage business scored work directly from Palmer Coolum Resort on the Sunshine Coast. A spokesman for Mr Ashby yesterday added that the Palmer United Party signage was sold to a "trade customer" who then supplied it to Mr Palmer's party. It is understood Mr Ashby has been doing the work for several months, producing branded corflutes, signage and posters for Mr Palmer's interests. The work has emerged after Mr Palmer has tried to further link Liberal National Party candidate for Fisher, Mal Brough, with Mr Ashby. Mr Palmer has claimed that Mr Brough asked him to fund Mr Ashby's legal expenses while the Labor government has claimed a political conspiracy with the LNP. Mr Brough and the opposition has denied the claims. Asked this week about the resort contracting Mr Ashby, Mr Palmer said: "That's bullshit. He wasn't working for me." Told that Mr Ashby had confirmed the work and then asked about the signs produced for his party, Mr Palmer said: "If he's tendered for things, that's a commercial thing. It has nothing do with me." Mr Palmer then hung up, saying he had to do a speech. The billionaire's spokesman yesterday would not rule out Mr Ashby supplying signs for Mr Palmer's interests but said he knew nothing about it. "I'm not aware of him ever speaking to him," the spokesman said. "There is no work that I know of that is going to Mr Ashby. Mr Palmer wouldn't be involved in the decision ... he doesn't normally get involved with sign-writing." Mr Brough and Mr Palmer, who is running in the adjacent seat of Fairfax, are still embroiled in the spat, with Mr Palmer this week threatening to sue Mr Brough for defamation. Mr Ashby's spokesman yesterday said Mr Ashby's business also supplied signs on a commercial basis to the Greens and the Wikileaks Party. The resort work, he said, was put out to tender by the resort and Mr Ashby won the work. "James, through his sign business, supplies signage to trade customers including sign writers, printers and promotional companies and on commercial terms to other companies," the spokesman said. "One of those trade customers does business with the Palmer United Party. James' company has supplied Palmer Coolum Resort with signage on normal commercial terms." Last year, Mr Ashby alleged Mr Slipper sexually harassed him when he was Speaker before the Federal Court threw out the case and found the staffer had abused judicial process. But the affair still effectively brought down Mr Slipper, whose resignation in the minority parliament was triggered when text messages surfaced in court showing him discussing female genitalia in unsavoury terms. Mr Ashby is appealing the court decision. ###