Another blot on Clive Palmer's 'perfect' court record

CLIVE Palmer has suffered another comprehensive legal defeat, this time in the Supreme Court of Queensland. It was an expensive loss. But it was also predictable. Because when it comes to hard evidence, Mr Palmer is often laid bare like a poker player bluffing on a pair of fives. In this latest legal gamble, the crown had evidence - and the law - in its favour. Royal flush.

Unfortunately for the judge, Peter Applegarth, the Supreme Court and indeed other courts and tribunals in Queensland and Australia, this is the sort of burdensome litigation frequently waged by Mr Palmer. It is usually doomed to fail, yet it chews up precious public resources, time and energy before all involved are put out of their misery. Mr Palmer, who aspires to be prime minister, is not just litigious in a reactive manner. In Who's Who, he has described litigation as his "hobby". A senior Queensland government figure told me yesterday that Mr Palmer's enthusiasm for litigation was matched by his bombardments of Freedom of Information requests. He is a tycoon searching for evidence of a conspiracy.

One of his boasts is that he has a perfect litigation record - 68 wins and no losses. It is a fantasy. When journalist Ellen Fanning tackled Mr Palmer about his 68-0 claim during an interview on SBS earlier this year, he countered that the legal loss she cited (to Frank Lowy) was technically a win. How? Well, according to Mr Palmer, he believed he would have prevailed if he had appealed the decision (which he didn't).

This means the loss in the Supreme Court yesterday may yet evolve into a great triumph.

In the words of one of his heroes, Joh Bjelke-Petersen: "Don't you worry about that."