Lateline delivers a mutual admiration society

EVERY politician and journalist knows that when accountability and integrity are in question, the television interview is a high-risk truth serum.

There is nowhere to hide when the studio lights are on, the cameras are rolling and the questions are directed at establishing whether you're the real deal.

Clive Palmer is now one of Australia's most powerful politicians with at least three Senate seats and the balance of power now belonging to his well-funded Palmer United Party.

Like the late National Party premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen (for whom Palmer once acted as honorary spokesman), Queensland's larger-than-life property and resources tycoon tries to play the media like a fiddle. Bjelke-Petersen called it "feeding the chooks". Clive just fronts up at his favourite friendly soapbox, ABC TV's Lateline.

Those journalists and media outlets who get under his skin with scrutiny of his antics (such as Marcus Priest in The Australian Financial Review) are smeared by Palmer who wrote to him: "Are you a murder(er) or just mentally deranged? Wake up. What party are you a member of? How did you vote? Will you divorce your wife or sell her if you get offered enough money . . . Don't contact me again."

Or they are sued by him - as we are at The Australian - in expensive and time-consuming proceedings for alleged defamation (the prospect of Mr Palmer under oath in the witness box of the Supreme Court of Queensland should thrill our lawyers).

But Lateline, the ABC and its host Tony Jones, a highly trained cross-examiner who has deftly nailed many political blowhards over the years, are in no such danger. On Wednesday night, the mutual admiration was again flowing warmly across the studio.

Mr Palmer, joined by his three non-speaking props - PUP senators-elect Glenn Lazarus (Queensland), Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania) and Zhenya Wang (Western Australia), was again given virtually unchallenged licence.

While spruiking his madcap plans to stimulate the economy, he was not asked to explain anything of his own apparent failure to currently operate any profitable business in Queensland (his nickel refinery in Townsville and resort at Coolum seem to be sinking like the Titanic). While talking about growing wealth and jobs, he was not questioned about his slashing of jobs across his corporate interests. While expounding on how he thinks "people want us to be honest and stand up for principle", he was not questioned about his recent statement to the ABC that he possesses documentary evidence of "illegal payments" being made to "corrupt" Campbell Newman-led Queensland government ministers (Palmer's principles are such that he wants us to "wait for the state election", in which he will be fielding candidates in 18 months, for him to disclose the actual evidence).

On his wealth, he was not challenged on his inability at present, amid Supreme Court litigation with Chinese company CITIC Pacific, to receive any royalty payments from iron ore reserves in Western Australia's Pilbara, despite a recent false claim that he was actually earning $500 million a year in royalties.

But on Lateline, Palmer can, and does, throw out new chook pellets that go unremarked.

Where do we start? On Wednesday night, Palmer was asked, in relation to federal parliament's pecuniary interests register that members must complete: "Presumably this will reveal once and for all whether you are or are not a billionaire, which is something that some newspapers have heavily speculated on."

Palmer: "Well, who knows? Who knows? I've never said I'm a billionaire. I mean, it's just that Rupert Murdoch keeps putting me on the rich list in Queensland every year."

Never said he's a billionaire? Just Rupert Murdoch's fault, apparently. Maybe it's Ray Martin's fault, too. When Ray interviewed him earlier this year for the Nine Network's 60 Minutes, a story revolving around his assets and the grand plan to build Titanic II (how far along, by the way, is the development of that vessel?), Palmer was asked: "Have you got any idea what you're worth? Forbes says only $750 million, others say $5 billion."

Palmer: "Well, I don't think you can really rely on Forbes so I don't think they are right. A bit more than that. Certainly, a lot more than that. You can multiply that a bit."

Martin: "This quintessential Queenslander says he's making so much money now that he can't spend it all."

That's the problem with fantasists: they can't keep track of the fiction and facts. Not that it troubles Lateline. It's little wonder that once again, Palmer expressed gratitude. "Thanks, Tony. You're a great journalist. All the best."