Campbell Newman strikes back at Clive Palmer in court

CAMPBELL Newman yesterday filed a court document in which Clive Palmer is accused of trying to get ­favourable treatment for his coal interests.

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman yesterday struck back at Clive Palmer by filing a document in the state’s Supreme Court in which the tycoon is squarely accused of trying to use his political donations to get ­favourable treatment for his coal interests in Queensland.

Mr Newman, the defendant in a defamation action lodged by Mr Palmer in Brisbane last month, also asserts in court documents filed late yesterday that the Palmer United Party leader had ­showered gifts on two politicians before and after they defected to PUP.

The Premier’s “notice of intention to defend” states that Carl Judge, a Liberal National Party parliamentarian until he joined PUP, has “received substantial gifts from Mr Palmer and or companies controlled by or associated with Mr Palmer from the period leading up to or around the time that Mr Judge joined the (PUP)”.

“Mr Judge received substantial gifts from Mr Palmer in the period from 18 December, 2012, and as ­recently as 26 May, 2014,’’ says Mr Newman’s Supreme Court ­document.

Mr Judge, who yesterday asked a question in state parliament directly relevant to Mr Palmer’s coal interests, formally joined the PUP on June 6, 2013.

Mr Newman claimed another ­defector from the LNP, Alex Douglas, also “received substantial gifts” from Mr Palmer including sponsored travel, accommodation, legal fees and paid advertising.

Mr Newman disclosed details of an April 13, 2012, meeting at which Mr Palmer “sought to have all of the staff” of Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney leave before the two men could discuss Mr Palmer’s coal interests in the Galilee Basin.

Mr Newman’s Supreme Court document states that Mr Palmer claimed in the meeting that he had prepared his own draft legislation for development of the Galilee Basin and he wanted Mr Seeney to ensure it was adopted, rather than relying on the normal machinery of government.

The document says Mr Palmer “explained to Mr Seeney that the proposed legislation would give him exclusive rights to develop ‘Port Palmer’ at Abbot Point and a railway in an exclusive rail corridor between the port and the Galilee Basin”. Mr Newman’s document further states that when Mr Seeney told the tycoon there were processes to follow, Mr Palmer replied that “he had paid substantial sums to the Liberal National Party to have the LNP elected and that he had a lot more money to support the LNP in the future”.

The document states that Mr Palmer said to Mr Seeney “words to the effect that he had supported individual candidates in the past and liked to support candidates that understood how business works”.

Mr Palmer “sought to have Mr Seeney keep the purported (draft legislation), which Mr Seeney refused to do”, according to Mr Newman’s document.

Mr Palmer launched defamation proceedings against Mr Newman after the Premier stood beside Tony Abbott and said the federal member for the seat of Fairfax was trying to buy politicians for the PUP.

Mr Palmer has denied the claims.

Mr Newman’s document states that the public has a right to information “that might lead them to ask questions” and “be better informed about the means by which a party” Mr Palmer founded was “securing the allegiance of persons elected to representative bodies”.

His Supreme Court reply to Mr Palmer’s defamation proceedings states that his remarks about the tycoon were reasonable and would assist the public in trying to determine how “Mr Palmer in his capacity as a businessman sought to influence government decision-making in relation to his business interests”.

The spat between Mr Newman and Mr Palmer yesterday spilled into Queensland parliament’s first question time since the state budget, when Mr Newman accused Mr Judge of acting under the instructions of Mr Palmer to ask a “loaded question’’ about the Galilee Basin.

Mr Judge put the question to Mr Newman just minutes after Mr Palmer used his absence from the parliamentary sitting in Canberra to lunch with Mr Judge and Mr Douglas in the Queensland parliament dining room.

Mr Judge faced a withering response from Mr Newman, whose government in 2012 awarded “preferred developer’’ status to a rival of Mr Palmer to build a railway from its mine to the coal port of Abbot Point. “What an extraordinary question this afternoon,” Mr Newman said. “As I said once before, the Palmer United Party, the best party money can buy, and that is demonstrated this afternoon.

“They come in here with a disgraceful, commercially self-­centred, self-interested question.

“What a disgrace. Why wasn’t Mr Palmer in federal parliament where the people of the Sunshine Coast pay him to be?’’

Last night, Mr Judge, who represents the Brisbane seat of Yeerongpilly, denied he had been instructed by Mr Palmer to pursue the line of questioning rather than grill the government over Tuesday’s budget.

Asked why he wasn’t in Canberra where the federal budget was being debated, Mr Palmer said: “Because I’m having lunch with Alex Douglas and I’m talking to you … I’ve got constituents who want to see me tonight in Fairfax and I’m putting their interests before my own.”

Mr Palmer did not return calls about Mr Newman’s comments.