Clive Palmer says aggressive media forced him to appoint bodyguards
CLIVE Palmer says the media has become so aggressive in its pursuit of him that he has been forced to employ bodyguards.
FORMER federal MP Clive Palmer has slammed the media for being “aggressive” towards him and his wife as they fled a Brisbane court flanked by four burly bodyguards.
Mr Palmer’s private security and media clashed outside the Federal Court on Friday after he faced intense questioning from liquidators about the management of Queensland Nickel in the lead-up to its collapse earlier this year. When asked outside court why he had personal security guards, Mr Palmer replied, “Because of deadbeats like you.” Mr Palmer tweeted on Saturday it was sad the media had become aggressive in order to get a story.
“It is a very disturbing situation that my wife Anna was aggressively pushed whilst the media was harassing me in pursuit of coverage,” he said. Gatecrash Security owner Mark Ellis, who was one of the four men who had accompanied Mr Palmer, told AAP he was proud his employees had acted professionally.
Mr Ellis said Mr Palmer, whether he was colourful or not, deserved free passage to his car.
“Clive’s a walking headline, we know that ,” Mr Ellis said.
“We walked with him, we didn’t approach media, they approached us and jammed cameras in our faces.
“The boys were professional, there were no punches thrown.
“(Mr Palmer’s) got a hold of all the footage, he’s extremely impressed with how we acted.” Mr Ellis said the incident in which a photographer was allegedly pushed into a bush was actually a case of a person trying to bump one of the “most immovable guys you’ve ever seen”.
Mr Palmer will return to court on Monday to continue giving evidence.
BACKGROUND
Nearly 800 workers lost their jobs when the company went into voluntary administration in January, with debts of $300 million.
The Federal Government has paid $65 million in taxpayer-funded redundancy payments to workers and special purpose liquidators PPB Advisory are attempting to have the money repaid through the court.
Mr Palmer maintains he was not involved in the running of the company prior to its collapse and told the court on Friday he stepped back from the company in 2014 to concentrate on politics.
The mining magnate was asked whether he was heavily involved in the business of Queensland Nickel in 2015, The Australian reported.
“No, I don’t agree,” Mr Palmer said.
“I was heavily involved in parliament in Canberra, you can check Hansard.”
The long-time Liberal National Party member split acrimoniously with the party after a feud with former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman.
He established his own political party, the Palmer United Party (PUP) in 2013, and was elected the member for Fairfax at that year’s Federal Election.
He did not stand for re-election this year amid enormous unpopularity with his constituents.
PUP imploded before this year’s Federal Election.
The billionaire has always denied acting as a shadow director of the company, however, former Queensland Nickel chiefs have testified he maintained an active role.
Earlier in the week, the court heard the billionaire had ordered QN to loan long-time friend Ian Ferguson $500,000 in 2014, which had not been paid back.