Clive Palmer backs Liberal Party coup

CLIVE Palmer backed a bid by Queensland Liberal National Party boss Bruce McIver to seize control of the federal Liberal Party.

BILLIONAIRE miner Clive Palmer backed a bid by Queensland Liberal National Party boss Bruce McIver to seize control of the federal Liberal Party, sparking fears the Coalition would suffer a re-run of the "Joh for Canberra" debacle, blamed for costing it an election in the 1980s.

The mooted coup, in which Mr McIver would have challenged federal president and former Victorian treasurer Alan Stockdale at this weekend's Federal Council meeting of the Liberal Party, was headed off by Tony Abbott and led to a heated confrontation between Mr Palmer and the Opposition Leader last Thursday.

Mr Palmer came out publicly for Mr McIver yesterday, describing him as the best president of a political party in the country. " I think he should be president of the federal Liberal Party," he said.

Mr McIver confirmed last night that he had been been talked out of moving against Mr Stockdale by Mr Abbott when they met in Canberra last Wednesday.

"Tony asked me not to run so I agreed with my leader," Mr McIver told The Australian.

Mr Abbott's office said it would not comment on his appointment diary, but he regularly met state party presidents "including Mr McIver".

Emotions were running high 24 hours later when Mr Palmer and Mr Abbott clashed at a hotel in Melbourne.

Describing the ill-tempered exchange as "out of order", Mr Palmer said it probably involved swearing on both sides, and he was sorry about his language.

The Australian understands he told Mr Abbott that the LNP still intended to move a motion at Federal Council to adopt the Queensland position of banning paid lobbyists from sitting on the party's executive, potentially sidelining Mr Stockdale and former Howard government ministers Santo Santoro and Alexander Downer, all of whom have connections to lobbying firms.

"I started very amicably and somebody probably said something out of order and it wasn't me," said Mr Palmer, who is a Queensland delegate to the Federal Council. "I made it absolutely clear in that conversation, as I have today, what my position is and regardless of shouting, screaming, threats or anything, that remains my position.

"I don't think it is the right thing that the heads of political parties in this country receive large amounts of money from foreign corporations to do their bidding."

Mr Abbott insisted there was no conflict of interest with Liberal Party office bearers being lobbyists. "I think that the federal executive of the Liberal Party should be open to people from all walks of life. If they've got the talent to serve, if they've got the willingness to serve, they should be able to do so," he said.

And he took another swipe at Mr Palmer, who has signalled he could seek LNP preselection to run against Wayne Swan in his federal seat of Lilley in Brisbane's north. Mr Abbott said despite Mr Palmer's immense wealth, he was "just an ordinary rank-and-file member" with no more influence than anyone else.

Mr McIver said the LNP remained committed to banning lobbyists from the federal Liberal executive, and he had no intention of accepting Liberal headquarters' decision to leave it off the Federal Council agenda in Melbourne. "There are such things as urgency resolutions, but I won't say what my tactics are," Mr McIver said.

Senior federal Liberals are horrified at the prospect of internal party instability marring the buildup to the federal election, and compared the push by Mr McIver and Mr Palmer to the notorious "Joh for Canberra" and "Joh for PM" campaigns in which then Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen tried to switch to federal politics ahead of the 1987 election.

This helped sink John Howard's election campaign and contributed to the destruction of his leadership at that time. Mr Palmer was a backer of Joh for Canberra.

Senior Liberals fear Mr McIver and his "LNP mates" wanted to take over the Liberals federally and at the risk of massive electoral damage to the Coalition. "We don't want the 2013 election to be a re-run of the 1987 election," one prominent federal Liberal said.

A defiant Mr McIver, who is foundation president of the LNP, denied he was trying to foist a Queensland-style merger on the conservative parties nationally.

"We have never pursued that once," Mr McIver said about internal speculation the LNP was planning a push to merge the Liberal and Nationals, federally. "Queenslanders and I believe Australians are looking for a higher case of integrity and accountability. It is nothing about them (Mr Stockdale, Mr Downer and Mr Santoro); if they are not paid lobbyists, it is not a problem.

"The issue is . . . about whether a paid lobbyist should be in such an influential position."

Tensions have been simmering between the LNP, a state division of the Liberal Party, and federal Liberal officials for years.

Ahead of the 2010 federal election, Mr McIver demanded the LNP raise campaign funds only for its own candidates, and last year the LNP's David Russell lost his position as Liberal vice-president in a vote to Mr Santoro, who relied on support from outside Queensland.

Sources said Mr McIver had won the support of at least one federal Liberal vice-president, Melbourne businessman Tom Harley, to take over from Mr Stockdale. The Australian has confirmed that Mr McIver had criticised Mr Stockdale's performance as federal president to a number of party figures. A senior Liberal MP said Mr McIver had argued to him the need for a change, but did not put himself forward for the job.

The Liberal Party's federal secretariat confirmed yesterday nominations for party president had closed last Friday, with no one challenging Mr Stockdale or other serving office bearers.