Clive Palmer attacks jobless workers
Back from his European holiday, Clive Palmer says: ‘I’m not responsible for your job and your family, you are.’
Clive Palmer has again denied any responsibility for hundreds of Queensland Nickel workers who lost their jobs when the company collapsed, while defending the timing of his month-long European holiday.
Mr Palmer also said he did not see his nephew Clive Mensink, the former director of Queensland Nickel who is subject to an arrest warrant, during his recent Mediterranean cruise, from which he was now returned to Australia.
“I don’t know where he is,” Mr Palmer said outside the Planning and Environment Court in Brisbane this morning.
Asked if it was appropriate to take the trip while former Queensland Nickel workers are struggling to pay their bills, Mr Palmer denied any responsibility for their welfare.
“I’m not responsible for your job and your family, you are - and if you haven’t been employed for two years it doesn’t show too much initiative about yourself, does it?” Mr Palmer said.
“Why not move the location or go somewhere? I wouldn’t be unemployed for two years - I’d accept my responsibility to look after my wife and my children.
“A final analysis: I’m not a director of the company, I was a member of parliament at the time. I’d retired three years ago from business, so I’m not responsible for everyone in this state, everyone in this country, providing them jobs and looking after their families.
“I wasn’t a director of the company. I wasn’t involved in (Queensland Nickel’s) operations in any way.”
He also denied allegations that he had acted as a shadow director of Queensland Nickel.
“That’s absolutely not true,” Mr Palmer said. “They know it’s not true. But it’s part of the political witch hunt that’s been going on.”
Queensland Nickel — the largest private employer in north Queensland — fell into administration in January last year, eventually costing nearly 800 workers their jobs and leaving creditors $300m out of pocket.
Mr Palmer, who travelled to Bulgaria to visit his wife Anna’s family after a recent lengthy Mediterranean cruise, turned up at the Planning and Environment Court in Brisbane this morning, to attend mediation over a legal spat connected to his mothballed Townsville nickel refinery.
The mediation is occurring behind closed doors between Mr Palmer, as director of his company Queensland Nickel Sales, and the state Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. There has been an ongoing dispute in the state’s environment court over the refinery, which was slapped with environmental notices in April last year over alleged breaches.
Mr Palmer is appealing against those notices.
In April, Planning and Environment Court judge Michael Rackemann ordered the mediation to occur today, but allowed former Queensland Nickel Sales director Mr Mensink not to appear. Mr Mensink is no longer a director of that company, and has been missing overseas for more than a year.
The Federal Court has issued arrest warrants for contempt of court for Mr Mensink, after he repeatedly dodged orders to return to Australia and testify about the collapse of Queensland Nickel, Mr Palmer’s original refinery management company that failed last year.