Clive Palmer defends $10k per head family cruise: ‘If it’s a crime to love your wife and children ... I am guilty’

CLIVE Palmer has defended taking more than 20 family and friends on a $10,000 per head luxury European cruise.

CLIVE Palmer, billionaire mining magnate whose Townsville nickel refinery collapsed and took 800 jobs with it, is guilty of just one thing.

Loving his wife and children. That’s the ruling of the court of Clive Palmer, anyway.

Just a month after the former federal MP clutched a vomit bag, an oxygen mask and sporadically lay on a couch at a Federal Court probe into the Townsville refinery’s collapse, Mr Palmer has been taken his entire family, plus a few extras, on a $10,000 per person Mediterranean cruise.

Clive Palmer and daughter Emily prepare to embark their luxury cruise liner in Barcelona. Picture: Martin Seras Lima

But the father-of-four has come out swinging against anyone who may have taken issue with him treating his family and friends to the luxury jaunt, as the former employees of Queensland Nickel continue to languish in the unemployment line.

“Like any Australian, I have the right to take my family on a holiday,” he said in a statement released on Monday morning.

Mr Palmer and his wife Anna both gave evidence in Brisbane last month, in a protracted battle by liquidators to extract $66 million in entitlements for the sacked Queensland Nickel workers, who lost their jobs in April 2016.

Anna Palmer prepares to embark with her family. Picture: Martin Seras Lima

Mr Palmer told the court last month he had suffered pancreatitis and was dosed up on painkillers, which were affecting his memory, during questioning about the company’s collapse.

At the conclusion of his evidence, however, the mining magnate swiftly recovered, so much so, he was able to sneak up on a Channel 10 reporter doing her piece to camera outside the courthouse.

More than 20 family, friends and employees have joined him on the 24-day European cruise, which set sail from Barcelona on Friday.

Queensland Nickel collapsed last year and went into voluntary administration, owing $300 million.

But Mr Palmer said the only crime he was guilty of was loving his family.

“If it is a crime to love your wife and children, to spend time with them, I am guilty,” he said, in Monday’s statement.

Clive Palmer outside the Federal Court in Brisbane last month. Picture: Dave Hunt / AAP

He reiterated he had not been formally accused of any wrongdoing over Queensland Nickel’s collapse.

“There are no actions against me for anything in court. I have not been accused of any crime against anyone,” he said.

“An injustice to one man anywhere is an injustice to all men everywhere.

“As for Queensland Nickel, I provided over two billion dollars of support for the company for three years to protect 3000 Australians in jobs when BHP wanted to sack them in 2009.

The Barcelona hotel where Clive Palmer stayed with his family and friends prior to setting sail. Picture: Martin Seras Lima

“The Commonwealth Government received over $700 million in tax because of my efforts.”

And just in case you have forgotten, let Clive remind you: “In 2012, I was named a National Living Treasure by the National Trust.”

Bon voyage.

Originally published as Clive Palmer defends $10k per head family cruise: ‘If it’s a crime to love your wife and children ... I am guilty’