Clive Palmer suing Turnbull, Michaelia Cash for $10m each

Clive Palmer has slapped $10m defamation lawsuits on Malcolm Turnbull and Employment Minister Michaelia Cash.

Clive Palmer has slapped $10 million defamation lawsuits on Malcolm Turnbull and Employment Minister Michaelia Cash alleging they implied he was a “greedy self-serving entrepreneur” over the collapse of Queensland Nickel.

Mr Palmer lodged the claims in the Queensland Supreme Court yesterday, asking for a payout of $10m from each defendant — despite the maximum claim in the state being $381,000 in damages for non-economic loss. Aggravated, or extra, dam­ages can only be awarded in ­extraordinary circumstances.

In April last year in China, the Prime Minister criticised Mr Palmer’s involvement in the failure of his Townsville refinery company, which cost nearly 800 workers their jobs.

“Mr Palmer’s role is disgraceful — as you know, he’s been taking money out of that company for his own purposes and that has played a major part in the dire state the business is in,” Mr Turnbull was reported as saying.

Documents filed by the mining magnate allege Mr Turnbull’s words “convey the imputation that (Mr Palmer) has used the funds from QNI for his own benefit and gain to the detriment of QNI employees and their families and the Townsville community at large”.

“(And) that (Mr Palmer) is a greedy self-serving entrepreneur who does not care for the welfare of his employees and ordinary Australians,” the lawsuit asserts.

Mr Palmer argues that Mr Turnbull’s statement is false and defamatory, and injured his personal and professional integrity.

He took exception to Senator Cash saying last year that the responsibility for the Queensland Nickel mess lay “fairly and squarely with Clive Palmer”.

He said Senator Cash also said: “The liquidators would work alongside QN’s liquidator to pursue recovery of money where possible including from Clive Palmer and all of his ­entities that have been the ­bene­ficiaries of the cash that has been stripped from Queensland Nickel.”

Mr Palmer said Senator Cash’s statements carried the same defamatory imputations as Mr Turnbull’s words.

Last night, Senator Cash said: “My role and the role of the government is to protect the interests of the Australian taxpayer who has footed the bill for the payment of Queensland Nickel workers’ entitlements.

“We have a responsibility to recoup these funds.”