Clive Palmer responds to Peter Garrett’s comment at party campaign launch

Mining billionaire Clive Palmer has hit back at Midnight Oil’s Peter Garrett after the musician called him a “giant heap of nothing”, saying he must be under pressure in his marriage.

Mining billionaire Clive Palmer has hit back at Midnight Oil’s Peter Garrett after the musician called him a “giant heap of nothing”, saying he must be under pressure in his marriage.

The comments came as the United Australia Party chairman launched the party’s official federal election campaign at the Palmer Coolum Resort on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday afternoon.

A yellow sea of more than 1000 voters cheered, chanted and waved their caps to show support in what equalled an American presidential campaign launch.

Mr Palmer made a grand entrance to address the crowd after his swift recovery from a nasty fall off the stage during a rehearsal for his launch on Good Friday.

“We care about our community and we are going to fight hard to protect it,” Mr Palmer told the crowd of vocal community members.

“Because of the Liberal and Labor debt, Australians will become slaves in their own economy, save Australia we must.”

Clive Palmer addresses the crowd at the United Australia Party's National Launch at the Palmer Coolum Resort. Picture: Brad Fleet

Midnight Oil singer and one-time federal Labor minister Peter Garrett slammed Mr Palmer at his Sunshine Coast Stadium show last Saturday, calling the politician and businessman “a big giant heap of nothing”.

“Queensland can be quite important in an election … but if you think you can actually change the direction of the country with people who are not fit to hold public office – after stuffing up the Coolum resort, and not paying workers in Townsville, and spraying billboards.” Mr Garrett told the concert crowd.

“I mean, you’ve seen fat boy up close, you know what a total wank this is.

“People rattle on talkback radio about un-Australian, well let me tell you, that big giant heap of nothing is the most un-Australian thing I have ever seen.”

Clive Palmer and Craig Kelly address the crowd at the United Australia Party's National Launch at the Palmer Coolum Resort. Picture: Brad Fleet

Mr Palmer responded to the comments while leaving his campaign launch, saying he would never insult someone the way Mr Garrett did.

“I think Peter is a very intellectual guy and if he thinks I’m a big heap of nothing he can read The Australian that says I’ve got about $18.5 billion which is a lot more than he’s made in his life from singing songs and whistling,” he said.

“I like Peter Garrett, I buy his songs and I sing to his music, I think he’s a nice guy but I never insult him by saying something like that about him, so he must be under pressure in his marriage or something like that must’ve gone wrong to make him so angry.”

Midnight Oil perform live at Sunshine Coast Stadium on April 9th, 2022. Picture: Lachie Millard

Addressing the packed pavilion at the launch, United Australia Party leader Craig Kelly promised to outlaw lockdowns, preserve freedom of speech and protect choice over medical treatments as their first tasks if elected to government.

“Our country is in crisis,” Mr Kelly said.

“The Liberals and Labor are just waiting until after the election to lock us all down and destroy Australia’s economic prosperity.”

Mr Kelly said the trillion dollars of debt run up by Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg would “destroy” lives and ensure home loan interest rates would rise to above 6 per cent.

Clive Palmer and Craig Kelly address the crowd at the United Australia Party's National Launch at the Palmer Coolum Resort. Picture: Brad Fleet

“In doing so, 80 per cent of Australians will default on their mortgages and lose their homes,” he said.

“We will pass a law limiting all home loan interest rates to be below 3 per cent interest rate for the next five years.”

He said the United Australia Party had a clear plan to repay the debt by introducing a 15 per cent export licence payable on the export of all iron ore from Australia.

Mr Kelly also promised to stop mass biometric surveillance that would allow the government to “spy on” Australian citizens, while also abolishing student debt.

Clive Palmer and Craig Kelly address the crowd at the United Australia Party's National Launch at the Palmer Coolum Resort. Picture: Brad Fleet