Courageous Clive Palmer’s imaginary flight of fancy

ON the day of the helicopter flood rescue for which Clive Palmer received a humanitarian award, he was instead tucked up in one of his luxury homes.

Gold Coast United Soccer team owner Clive Palmer arrives at Skilled Stadium in his private helicopter.

IT is a tale of derring-do that certainly deserves a “Good Samaritan of the Year” award.

Defying the risks — including a potential term of imprisonment — Clive Palmer and his helicopter swoop in to rescue staff stranded on a roof during the devastating Queensland floods of 2011.

“In true Clive fashion, he risked jail time to fly in and save his staff,” the citation reads. “On his way out of the area, he ­noticed other people stranded on roof tops and in danger of being swept away. That day he saved a further 16 families disregarding his own civil liberties.”

But the problem is, the founder of the Palmer United Party was nowhere near his helicopter as it flew over the floods west of Brisbane that dreadful day; he was safely tucked up in one of his luxury homes.

And the Good Samaritan of the Year award, which he said he was “honoured” to win at a ceremony he attended in Canberra last month, came from a charity wholly controlled by one of his political aspirants, PUP Senate candidate Wayne Slattery.

But suspend your cynicism. The ties between Mr Palmer, who leads the PUP, and Mr Slattery, who wants to run for the PUP again, had “nothing to do” with the resources tycoon winning the award. “It’s not at all a conflict of interest because I had nothing to do with the selection of the winners — I purposely put myself at arm’s length from the selection panel due to my relationship with Clive,’’ Mr Slattery told The Australian yesterday.

Mr Slattery runs The Good Samaritan Awards Incorporated, which seeks tax-deductible don­ations as a registered charity. He also controls its US-based website. Registration documents lodged with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, a federal regulatory agency, say the charity benefits “Aboriginal or (Torres Strait Islanders)”. However, Mr Slattery said that was a mistake — it ­benefited people who needed help caring for their pets.

Mr Slattery was perplexed when asked about his political leader’s links to the rescue in 2011. He said he was sure Mr Palmer himself went to the rescue of stranded flood victims in his helicopter.

However, the pilot of his helicopter was the true hero of the hour. Mr Palmer had directed the pilot to pick up his Cold Mountain Stud staff, including Murray Sullivan, a harness racing trainer-driver. “Clive was not flying — he wasn’t in the helicopter,” Mr Sullivan, who lost his job and moved back to his hometown of Forbes after Mr Palmer downsized his horse centre west of Brisbane, said yesterday.

“I don’t think Clive could leave his home because his street was probably underwater. He just sent his private helicopter to get us. I’m glad he did because the water was rising fast. I was on the roof of one of the houses near ­Lowood at the training complex.

“It was 5.30am, just as the sun was coming up, and the helicopter landed on the roof and we just shuffled along the rooftop and they pulled us in. The pilot did a great job. I think he deserves some sort of heroism award because he risked his life to go out and do it. It was good of Clive to send his luxury helicopter.’’

However, Mr Slattery, who lives in the NSW Southern Highlands, said: “That was definitely my understanding — that he flew in and he was in the chopper.

“The information we were given was that he flew in and helped the people on his farm and rescued another 60 people on the way out. We feel the award was well deserved for his efforts.”

Mr Palmer, who was named a Living National Treasure in 2013 after staff were told to vote for him, also became the first head of the hitherto-unknown World Leadership Alliance, and the World Economic Forum, after paying a Spanish think-tank which conferred the titles.

After the floods, Mr Palmer attacked the Queensland government for not mounting rescues sooner and said he had made a decision to save staff with his helicopter. Asked for comment about his links to Mr Slattery and the awards, he texted last night: “The election over the numbers are in I hope u (sic) can boost ur (sic) circulation and keep ur (sic) job.”