LNP Scrooges tighten wallets while Clive Palmer buys ‘Australia’

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles speaks during Question Time at Parliament House. Picture: Dan Peled

With Christmas looming, the Scrooges in the Liberal National Party are trying to save their pennies … and it couldn’t come at a worse time.

LNP insiders have told Chooks that MPs are shaping-up for the next round of the age-old fight to dump party affiliation fees.

The fees are paid by all elected council, state and federal MPs — starting at around $4000-a-year for a backbencher — and brings in about half a million dollars to help pay for the running of party HQ.

Queensland LNP President Lawrence Springborg. Photo: Glenn Hunt / The Australian

It is an arrangement set-out in a contract with hopeful candidates and, if elected, they are invoiced quarterly — unlike Labor HQ, which takes its (slightly bigger) cut directly from the pay of their MPs.

While some LNP MPs fork out of their own pockets, others miserly use funds raised in the local cake raffles to pay.

A coalition of MPs are whipping the numbers to pass a motion at the LNP state council in Gladstone on November 6 to dump the fees.

There has been similar internal attempts before to scrap the unpopular fees, but with former MP Lawrence Springborg now president of the party, the vibe is that it might just happen.

As reported by Chooks in earlier columns, the LNP is struggling to raise funds at the moment with an exodus of staff.

With a looming federal election — and Labor backed with big money from the unions — it isn’t the best present for officials going into Christmas.

No need to rush

The Palaszczuk government used the cover of the pandemic last year to rush laws into parliament — without any debate or committee scrutiny — that would jail any journo who reported corruption allegations against a pollie during official campaign periods.

You might recall the outcry from both media and, thankfully, the public, that forced an equally quick backdown from then attorney-general Yvette D’Ath.

But it appears there is no such haste when it comes to the proposed laws that the government agreed to after months of negotiation with the journos’ union, the MEAA.

Queensland is the only Australian jurisdiction without “shield laws”, which give journalists legal professional privilege from revealing their sources in court.

Despite being set to go to parliament this week, we hear the proposed laws — protecting reporters from being hauled before the courts and bullied into giving up their sources — will not go to a vote until next year.

Apparently, the Justice Department needs more time to iron out kinks in the bill.

Media freedom concerns have been heightened with the appeal over the Queensland Supreme Court ruling that a Brisbane television journalist — dubbed Witness F — must reveal his confidential police sources to the CCC or risk being imprisoned.

Nowhere in Blair

Some within the Liberal National Party are growing anxious about the fact that they still haven’t preselected a candidate for the seat of Blair.

The electorate covers Ipswich and a swath of towns in the valley west of Brisbane and has been impacted by shifting demographics in recent years.

Typically a Labor stronghold, Blair went within a whisker of falling to the LNP in 2019 when voters revolted against the ALP, leading to a margin of just 1.2 per cent.

Longtime Labor MP Shayne Neumann has been particularly vocal in his support of the coal mining industry and working-class issues since the close-call in 2019, but some within the LNP believe the party should still be putting it on its hit-list.

“It’s ridiculous that we haven’t named a candidate in Blair,” one federal LNP MP told the Chooks.

“If we had a better go last time, we would have won it. We could go close again but then we will wonder where it all went wrong.”

The MP said the failure to preselect a candidate in a winnable trophy seat so close to a federal election was part of the concern that led to disgruntlement over the leadership of recently ousted LNP state director Tony Eyres.

Former LNP state leader Deb Frecklington was rumoured to be considering a tilt for Blair, which would have included some of her current patch in Nanango, but she denied it back in May.

Ipswich mayor Teresa Harding, who contested Blair for the LNP in 2013 and 2016, has ruled out another run, despite a push from some within the party.

Clive Palmer, right, hosting Gary Spence, left, and Bruce McIver aboard the Nancy Jean on election night. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

Ship of fools

With all that money, what else could Clive Palmer do but buy “Australia”.

The billionaire businessman and political protagonist — who spent $80m at the last federal election and still failed to secure a single seat for his United Australia Party — will take possession of his new toy, the $40m superyacht, on Monday.

Ever the stirrer, he dubbed the Gibraltar-flagged vessel “Australia” — which he would not have been able to do in the Great Southern Land because apparently one had already been registered here, and you can’t have two boats of the same name.

After The Australian published a story about the 57m-long boat’s arrival in Brisbane this month — the crew had to quarantine for two weeks before the boat was scrubbed down — it reminded many of the ship of fools controversy aboard Palmer’s 35m runabout last year.

Pictures emerged of the LNP’s three former LNP presidents — Gary Spence, David Hutchinson and Bruce McIver — yucking it up on Palmer’s boat cruising the Brisbane River watching the count on state election night.

Months earlier, some of the guests were accused of plotting a coup against then LNP leader Deb Frecklington, with plans to replace her with David Crisafulli, who is now the leader.

During Question Time on Wednesday, Labor’s Steven Miles gleefully relayed details of the yacht and its bar, jacuzzi and VIP suites.

“It must be a great relief to the leader of the opposition to know this far out where the LNP executive will be spending their election night,” Miles said.

“Let’s not forget his predecessor only found out where they would be toasting her defeat on election night.

“Now the question is: will he get an invite? Because we know the member for Nanango (Frecklington) couldn’t get an invite.”

Frecklington joked from across the chamber: “Lucky me.”

Miles said the group would be able to soak their weary election day muscles in the on-board jacuzzi.

“There’s an image we all needed, isn’t it — the Member for Broadwater, and Clive Palmer in a hot tub on the Brisbane River?”

“One piece of advice for the Member for Broadwater (Crisafulli): no matter what Clive says, pack your boardshorts.”

Olympics race begins

Competition is heating up for a seat on the powerful 22-member board tasked with organising Brisbane’s Olympic Games.

Jostling among Australia’s business elite kicked off in July when Brisbane was announced as the host city for the 2032 Games, but things are about to get interesting after legislation to create the committee was introduced to state parliament on Wednesday.

Former state tourism minister Kate Jones. Photograph: Che Chorley

Desperate to secure the 2032 Games and appear united to the International Olympic Committee, the state and federal governments sang kumbaya and signed a 50-50 partnership to split the cost of venues, including a new $1bn stadium at the Gabba.

Under the new laws, expected to pass next month, Scott Morrison and Annastacia Palaszczuk will get to hand-pick four board members each.

The real Hunger Games will begin when the pair have to come together and agree on five independent directors who will ultimately decide which level of government will get its way on key decisions.

It is a good thing the Olympics are 11 years away because it might take a good decade for Palaszczuk and Morrison to agree on a five-member voting block.

Being an organiser will be a sweet gig, including trips to Paris to have a sticky beak at their games in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028.

So whose names have been floated for the much-coveted committee?

Senior government sources say former Labor minister Kate Jones, responsible for organising the 2018 Commonwealth Games, was a “likeable and capable public face” who is eager for a chair.

There is almost certainly a spot reserved for former Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, who is highly regarded by leaders in both major parties and championed the city’s bid from 2015.