Clive Palmer a ‘disgrace’ for abandoning nickel workers: Shorten

Bill Shorten has labelled Clive Palmer a ‘disgrace’ for abandoning workers.

The crisis over Clive Palmer’s ­political and financial future has deepened with Bill Shorten labelling the Palmer United Party founder a “disgrace” for abandoning workers sacked from his ­collapsed Queensland nickel refinery.

The Labor leader yesterday targeted Mr Palmer, who holds the Sunshine Coast seat of Fairfax, accusing him of placing his political interests ahead of the needs of his employees who are being denied access to their ­entitlements.

Four days before Mr Palmer’s Queensland Nickel Industries collapsed into voluntary administration, two of his other companies staked a claim on the refinery’s assets — a move apparently aimed at squeezing out redundant workers and other creditors.

China First and Waratah Coal are connected to Mr Palmer’s proposed Galilee Basin Coalmine and lodged claims to become ­secured creditors of QNI last Thursday, only a day before 237 refinery workers were sacked.

“Anyone who refuses to pay workers’ entitlements or leaves small business creditors in the lurch is a disgrace,” Mr Shorten said yesterday.

“Ensuring these workers get what they’re entitled to is my ­absolute priority along with making sure small business trade creditors don’t get forgotten ... People must come first, not banks or any other vested interest.”

Queensland Nickel donated nearly $290,000 to the Palmer United Party less than three weeks before the workers lost their jobs.

Administrators are also ­expected to investigate more than $21 million in donations made over the past two financial years to the beleaguered PUP, which has suffered two defections.

The LNP candidate for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien, said Mr Palmer hadn’t lost any shoe-leather in the battle for the Queensland seat and was “completely absent” from any kind of grassroots-style campaigning.

“I have not met anybody who has ever seen him,” Mr O’Brien said.

“He will attend an Anzac Day ceremony or an Australia Day event if we’re lucky.”

Mr O’Brien said he believed the Palmer experiment had failed but it would be up to the people of Fairfax to determine who should continue as the local member.

Labor candidate Scott Anderson also labelled Mr Palmer’s ­actions as “appalling” on his Facebook page and pushed for an overhaul of donation laws.