Clive Palmer claims Glenn Lazarus is refusing to pay back electoral funding from Queensland Nickel

UPDATE: EMBATTLED businessman Clive Palmer is now linking his former political comrade Glenn Lazarus to the decline of Queensland Nickel. But the former footballer won’t cop it.

PUP leader Clive Palmer (C) and PUP Senator Glenn Lazarus (R) arrive for a press conference at Parliament House ahead of the Intergeneratiolal Report to be released on Thursday, Canberra, Wednesday, March 4, 2015. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) NO ARCHIVING

EMBATTLED businessman Clive Palmer is now linking his former political comrade Glenn Lazarus to the decline of Queensland Nickel.

In a bizarre statement issued today, the Fairfax MP and founder of the Palmer United Party said Senator Lazarus was “refusing to pay back electoral funding from Queensland Nickel”.

Mr Palmer’s company Queensland Nickel, which last week made 237 workers redundant and is now in the hands of administrators, donated $20 million to PUP in the past two financial years.

Senator Lazarus resigned from PUP after the election following a falling out with Mr Palmer.

If @SenatorLazarus is so concerned, maybe he should pay back QNI money that got him elected? https://t.co/U2S16kDk3c #auspol

— Clive Palmer (@CliveFPalmer) January 18, 2016

EDITORIAL: Clive’s spin laid bare as workers pay price

Mr Palmer, who ran a federal election campaign with more than 100 candidates, including himself, said Senator Lazarus was the main beneficiary of the $15 million campaign.

“It seems like Senator Lazarus wants to take and never give. He has not contributed to the Senate since leaving the Palmer United Party to become an independent,” he said.

“If Glenn Lazarus is so concerned about the people of Queensland he should come clean and pay back QNI the money that got him elected.

“I’m sure the administrators of QNI would welcome the money back in order to help the people of North Queensland.”

But Senator Lazarus hit back at Mr Palmer’s comments, labelling him a bully.

“This is the type of behaviour which I encountered while with PUP and another example of why I left,” he told The Courier-Mail.

“I don’t like bullies and I don’t think bullies should be allowed to get away with this type of behaviour.

“Bullies need to be called out for bullying behaviour. I won’t be bullied into submission.

“The people of Australia don’t like bullies.

“The real issue here is the workers at the nickel refinery.”

Senator Lazarus said he was more worried about workers than Mr Palmer’s blame, including whether those laid off would receive their entitlements.

The Senator defended his record of work for Queensland, saying he was actively involved in a series of community endeavours.

Mr Palmer, the once self-declared billionaire who up until December was still flying around in a private jet, did not make any suggestion in the statement that he would pay any of the money back.

The Queensland Nickel refinery owned by MP Clive Palmer.

Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said Mr Palmer needed to “make himself more available and explain why it is that he spent $20 million on his political party and left his workers in the lurch”.

“It’s disgraceful,” he told reporters.

“We all know that Mr Palmer has got a range of assets out there and yet here we’re seeing issues around entitlements, legitimate entitlements of hardworking Townsville residents, being called into question, putting them through things they don’t need to go through.

“Mr Palmer needs to explain his actions.

Mr Bailey said the Government was accelerating a range of Bruce Highway projects, with 180 jobs in the Main Roads area to be brought forward.

“We’ll be looking at other opportunities when I’m in Townsville tomorrow, with the Premier and a range of other ministers, looking at what other works we can do to help the Townsville community,” he said.

The Minister said he intended to meet with sacked workers in Townsville.

Mr Bailey also said the State was looking at training issues to help workers find jobs.