Sacked workers told ‘vote for Clive Palmer’ as national treasure

Four years before they were sacked, QNI workers were told to vote for Clive Palmer as a national living treasure.

Clive Palmer was voted as one of Australia’s living national treasures in 2012. Picture: Tara Croser

Four years before they were sacked from Clive Palmer’s Queensland Nickel refinery, his workers were told to vote for their boss as a national living treasure.

Internal emails confirm the Townsville staff, and their family and friends, were told repeatedly to vote for “Professor Clive Palmer” to be one of the National Trust of Australia’s 100 living treasures.

The three missives, to all staff at the now-mothballed north Queensland refinery, were sent in February 2012 and strongly encouraged votes in the poll, run by Woman’s Day magazine.

“It would be a huge honour to be named one of the National Living Treasures and it would also be a worthy recognition for Australia’s resources sector which contributes so much to our economy,” Mr Palmer is quoted as saying in the first all-staff email.

A week later, Queensland Nickel’s then external relations specialist Mark Kelly excitedly informed Yabulu employees that “Clive is only 50 votes behind”.

Within a couple of hours, Mr Palmer’s nephew Martin Brewster — then the commercial manager of Queensland Nickel — added his voice to the chorus.

“Further to Mark Kelly’s email of this morning, with all he has done for the Townsville community please encourage all of your family and friends to also cast a vote for Clive as Living National Treasure using the ­following link,” Mr Brewster wrote.

Mr Palmer’s selection as one of seven “treasures” in 2012 sparked controversy.

The following year, The Australian quoted unnamed staff members confirming they had been told to vote for the resources magnate.

The leaked emails are the first documentary proof.

Also in 2013, Yabulu workers were instructed to ­“volunteer” to hand out how-to-vote cards for Mr Palmer’s nascent political arm, the Palmer United Party.

In a “memo from Clive ­Palmer”, sent to all refinery staff on September 2, 2013, Mr Palmer said their task on polling day would be to “simply hand out cards in a polite manner and not to engage in any extensive political discussion with the voters”.

“Considering my long and continuing commitment to you and your families I expect that all those who are able to, will volunteer their time for approximately four hours on Saturday to assist in manning the polling booths,” Mr Palmer’s memo reads.

Mr Palmer’s wholly owned Queensland Nickel company collapsed under $300 million in debts in January, costing almost 800 jobs.

Federal taxpayers have footed the bill for more than $65m in unpaid redundancy entitlements.