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Federal Court appoints special liquidator to chase Clive Palmer over Queensland Nickel debts

The Federal Court appoints a taxpayer-funded liquidator to chase Clive Palmer over Queensland Nickel debts.

The Federal Court agrees to a federal government application to appoint a special purpose liquidator funded by taxpayers to chase Clive Palmer over the debts of Queensland Nickel.
The Federal Court agrees to a federal government application to appoint a special purpose liquidator funded by taxpayers to chase Clive Palmer over the debts of Queensland Nickel.

A Federal Court judge has appointed a special purpose liquidator funded by taxpayers to chase Clive Palmer over the debts of his Queensland Nickel refinery.

Justice John Dowsett this morning agreed with the federal government’s unusual application to appoint insolvency expert Stephen Parbery as SPL for Queensland Nickel, which fell into liquidation last month with debts of $300 million.

The court heard existing liquidators FTI Consulting don’t have the funds to launch legal action against Mr Palmer to recoup the debts.

Freight carrier Aurizon is owed more than $90m, while federal taxpayers will shell out $68m for unpaid workers’ entitlements.

Justice Dowsett will also be asked today to allow a public examination of Mr Palmer and other QN executives to gather evidence for possible legal action.

The hearing continues.

More to come

Sarah Elks
Sarah ElksSenior Reporter

Sarah Elks is a senior reporter for The Australian in its Brisbane bureau, focusing on investigations into politics, business and industry. Sarah has worked for the paper for 15 years, primarily in Brisbane, but also in Sydney, and in Cairns as north Queensland correspondent. She has covered election campaigns, high-profile murder trials, and natural disasters, and was named Queensland Journalist of the Year in 2016 for a series of exclusive stories exposing the failure of Clive Palmer’s Queensland Nickel business. Sarah has been nominated for four Walkley awards. Got a tip? elkss@theaustralian.com.au; GPO Box 2145 Brisbane QLD 4001

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/federal-court-appoints-special-liquidator-to-chase-clive-palmer-over-queensland-nickel-debts/news-story/f0e1231bfc91ac9466563d051747dd03