Queensland election: Watchdog eyes ‘property developer’ Palmer

Clive Palmer’s election spending is in doubt after it emerged he’s trying to get two huge Gold Coast developments approved.

Clive Palmer, right, with Anna Stanton at Palmer Colonial Golf Course for The Greg Norman Junior Masters.

Clive Palmer’s massive spending on the October 31 Queensland election is in question after it emerged the billionaire is trying to get two huge property developments approved on the Gold Coast.

Under Queensland’s Electoral Act, it is illegal for property developers to make political donations and for parties to accept them, with people found to have knowingly circumvented the ban facing a maximum penalty of 10 years’ jail or a $195,825 fine.

Mr Palmer denies being a property developer under the act, and the state’s electoral watchdog says all investigations into alleged wrongdoing are confidential.

An investigation by The Australian has uncovered that Mr Palmer and his company Palmer Leisure Australia have ongoing applications before the Gold Coast City Council to develop two of his landholdings: the Palmer Colonial golf course at Robina and the Avica wedding resort and spa at Merrimac.

Mr Palmer is the sole shareholder of Palmer Leisure Australia, as well as being its secretary and a director. The company’s other director is Mr Palmer’s longtime friend, former LNP president Bruce McIver.

According to documents lodged with the council and with Queensland’s Planning and Environment Court, Palmer Leisure Australia’s “Robina Transit Development Plan” would see 1200 homes — of a maximum 12 storeys — built on the 75ha site, while the “Greenheart Gardens Development” would see 3000 dwellings and a commercial zone of 2000 sq m on 76ha at Merrimac. The latter development application was lodged in Mr Palmer’s name.

Since late June, Mr Palmer and five of his private companies have donated $2.13m to his ­United Australia Party, including the largest single donation in Queensland political history: $2m from his flagship company Mineralogy.

The “Greenheart Gardens Development” would involve 3000 dwellings at Merrimac.

Mineralogy is also funding a statewide advertising blitz attacking the Palaszczuk Labor government and promoting the UAP through billboards and ads on television, radio, print and online.

The company even used its Visa card to spend $13,750 on election nomination fees for the UAP’s 55 candidates, one-third of whom are Mr Palmer’s relatives or current and former employees.

The Electoral Commission of Queensland told The Australian it could not confirm or deny whether it was investigating whether Mr Palmer or any of his companies would be considered a property developer under the state’s Electoral Act.

Since December 2018, 24 people or companies have been declared “non-prohibited donors” and are allowed to make donations. Mr Palmer and his companies are not on that list.

“A property developer is a corporation engaged in a business that regularly involves the making of relevant planning appli­cations,” an ECQ spokeswoman said. “An individual who is a ­director of such a corporation may be a close associate of a property developer.”

“Any examination or investigation which may or may not be under way is confidential.”

Mr Palmer insists his main business is mining, not real estate, and said he had not lodged a new development application since the legislation banning property developer donations was passed in 2018.

A spokesman for Mr Palmer said: “Under the act, you’ve got to be a regular participant (in) development application proposals.

“He’s not; he said he hasn’t lodged any new applications since the act (was introduced).

“Mr Palmer owns a large company with many assets across many sectors including a large iron ore project in the Pilbara.”

“Really, all he is, is a large receiver of Chinese funds for mining projects.”

The Queensland legislation was backdated to the 2017 election, and planning documents show Mr Palmer and Palmer Leisure Australia have lodged refreshed or amended development applications for the Gold Coast mega-projects since then.

For the Robina development, the most recent change to the application was lodged by Palmer Leisure Australia in December 2018; Mr Palmer lodged a change to the Merrimac development application in February 2019.

Despite the size of the projects being scaled back from the original plans, the Gold Coast City Council rejected both appli­cations in February and August of this year. Mr Palmer and his company have lodged appeals to the decisions in the Planning and ­Environment Court.