PShift interviews Clive Palmer about his intentions in 2014.
Friday 17 December 2014 4ZZZ studios, Brisbane
PShift: Mr Palmer you are described in the mainstream media as a mining magnate, yet you do not own any mines?
Clive Palmer: I put my money where mine mouths begin.
PShift: You may as well mine asteroids if you can’t get the coal to the sea. Your China First project established a rail corridor and now has agreement with the federal minister for no environment, Greg Hunt, to build a huge mine on the nature reserve up in the Galillee called Bimblebox.
Clive Palmer: That is not my doing, the previous labor government gave out nature refuges to loony tunes greenies and the current LNP government gave the coal rail line to Gina (Reinhardt).
PShift: Mr Palmer, I couldn't help but notice you were speaking with members of the Palmer United Party, the brick with eyes and the newly elected defector from the petrol heads party , at lunch in the parliamentary annex on Thursday. Do you have any comment or announcement to make at this time?
Clive Palmer: We have plenty to talk about.
PShift: Why are you running expensive adds on TV when there isn’t even an election happening. How do you finance this when your nickel refinery and property interests on the Sunshine coast are losing money? Mr Palmer, are you going to finance the destruction of the LNP in Queensland?
Clive Palmer: I would say in relation to your question, the environment that is being created is nepotism, it is the way of the world, who you know, employing your relations into ministerial positions.
PShift: Have you asked any LNP defectors into the Palmer United Party?
Clive Palmer: I do not need anyone from the LNP, they are a bunch of losers about to have a serious motor vehicle accident and I tell you the traffic they hit wont be involving a possum.
PShift: Mr Palmer, your adversary in the LNP, Premier Campbell Newman knocked back an attempt by your company, Waratah Coal, build a railway in the Galilee Basin. Isn’t this all just sour grapes because Gina Reinhardt won that tender?
Clive Palmer: Waratah Coal has taken legal action against Caesar (Newman) over the Galilee project.
PShift: But legal action will not win the Galilee Basin rail project only political power can gain that.
Clive Palmer: You forget we have political power.
PShift: Is your split with Campbell Newman based on commercial grounds does it go deeper, is there an ideological difference?
Clive Palmer: It is both, we need greater flexibility and we need to recognise the hunger for coal to our north.
PShift: As you are aware, Mr Palmer, Bjelke-Petersen obtained funds from mining companies like Comalco, MIM Holdings, and Rio Tinto to wage elections, is Waratah Coal going to put up even more funds to defeat Campbell Newman at what may be an early election?
Clive Palmer: Discussions are underway for us to run a high profile candidate to unseat Campbell Newman in the seat of Ashgrove.
PShift: Have you got anyone in mind?
Clive Palmer: We want to give voters an alternative to both Labor and the Nationals.
PShift: Don’t you mean the LNP, Mr Palmer?
Clive Palmer: Who is the real power in the LNP, Campbell Newman who wasn’t even a member of parliament a couple of years ago or Jeff Seeney from the Nationals?
PShift: Campbell Newman won the biggest landslide election in Australian political history.
Clive Palmer: Yeah, but he did it on the back of the Nationals and the failure of the Labor party. People will soon realise that it is Jeff Seeney who holds the real power, they will dump Campbell Newman sooner or later. He is an electoral liability.
PShift: Isn’t the field getting a bit crowded on the conservative side of politics? There’s Bob Katter, the LNP and now your party. Bob Katter opposes coal mines on pastoral leases.
Clive Palmer: it is not a matter of conservative or labor anymore, it is about true free enterprise – Bob Katter is a troglodyte who has run his race and Seeney is hopeless and incompetent when it comes to job creation and sorting out the economy of Queensland.
PShift: but coal mines only create jobs in the construction phase … after that it is all up to the machines.
Clive Palmer: Just you wait until the trickle down effect kicks in … coal mining will bring great wealth to Queensland and Australia.
PShift: But you don’t know anything about coal mining you’re just a property developer.
Clive Palmer: I let our Chinese partners worry about the logistics of coal mining, I’m on the business side.
PShift: By telling their executives to fuck off?
Clive Palmer: You have to understand that people don't invest out of love. I get married out of love; I have children out of love. The Chinese are not in Australia for a free handout or for charity and we don't want to be frightened about them. They're here because it's in their interest.
PShift: I think we should leave it there
