WA’s Liberals rule out deal with Clive Palmer over border challenge

Clive Palmer’s ongoing legal challenge against WA’s border closure has cost his political party any hope of a preference deal at next March’s election.

WA Opposition Leader Liza Harvey. Picture: Colin Murty

Clive Palmer’s ongoing legal challenge against Western Australia’s border closure has cost his polit­ical party any hope of a preference deal at next March’s WA election.

Opposition Leader Liza Harvey has ruled out any agreement between her Liberal Party and Mr Palmer’s United Australia Party, reflecting the widespread unpopularity­ of the billionaire’s High Court legal challenge among West Australians.

Ms Harvey had previously called for a travel bubble between WA, South Australia and the Northern Territory but now supports­ an ongoing closure of the border until the coronavirus outbreak is back under control.

The federal government withdrew its support for Mr Palmer’s case at the weekend, and Ms Harvey urged the mining magnate on Wednesday to pull the matter.

“He should apply for a permit, fill it in correctly, and let the authorities decide as to whether he should be permitted access to WA or not,” she said. “I don’t agree with the High Court challenge and I certainly will not entertain any preference deal with Clive Palmer or his party.”

Ms Harvey said her change in position on WA’s borders reflected the changed circumstances in Victoria and NSW. “Leaders in every jurisdiction have had to change their position as the envir­onment around COVID-19 changes,’’ she said.

“That’s what the Premier has done, and I back in the Premier’s decision around the borders, that’s what the Prime Minister has done around the High Court challenge,” she said.

WA Premier Mark McGowan urged Mr Palmer again on Wednesday to withdraw his action­ and flagged that lawyers for WA were pushing to have the evidence previously submitted in the matter by the commonwealth struck out.

“No one I’ve met, and I’ve met hundreds of people, have said they support what he’s doing. I just say to him, you’re not listening to Western Australians,” the Premier said. He added: “He uses money generated in WA through West Australian mining projects to try and bring down our borders and damage the health of West Australians. It’s very, very selfish.’’