❓ Question regarding legal actions taken by Clive Palmer against WA taxpayers and the government's response, focusing on potential conflicts of interest of a former Liberal Attorney-General now representing Palmer.
AnsweredQoN 240Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CLIVE PALMER — LEGAL ACTION
240. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Attorney General:
I refer to reports today of a $300 billion
claim by one of Clive Palmer's business entities, which has listed a former
Liberal Party Attorney General as one of its lawyers. Can the Attorney General
outline to the house the legal actions taken by Mr Palmer and his companies
against the taxpayers of Western Australia and how this government has
responded to them?
240. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Attorney General:
I refer to reports today of a $300 billion
claim by one of Clive Palmer's business entities, which has listed a former
Liberal Party Attorney General as one of its lawyers. Can the Attorney General
outline to the house the legal actions taken by Mr Palmer and his companies
against the taxpayers of Western Australia and how this government has
responded to them?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
I am conscious that I am answering
on limited time in question time —
The SPEAKER : Excellent!
Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : So I will
not give the detail of all the actions that Mr Palmer has initiated. There are
14 in all—not all the 14 are involved in arbitral proceedings, not the
$300 billion claim he has now put in. Of those 13, four have been settled; all
have been withdrawn or discontinued and only in relation to four have we
recovered any order for costs. He is resisting all orders for costs.
I was shocked to see on the front
page this morning that he has initiated a $300 billion claim using as his
solicitor and counsel a former Liberal Attorney-General of Australia and a Liberal
Attorney General of Western Australia. Might I just say this about his
representation: a little while ago, we were served with a notice of intention
to bring proceedings under the free trade
agreement for $30 billion, being the original arbitral award, plus costs and
damages . Since the former Liberal Attorney General has come on board,
that has increased tenfold to $300 billion.
We know that the Liberal and
National Parties are friends of Mr Palmer and work in lockstep with Mr Palmer.
We know this. Indeed, we know that in 2020, after we passed the legislation, a Miss
Caroline Di Russo, who describes herself as a businesswoman and an unrepentant
nerd, published an opinion piece entirely supportive of Mr Palmer, and after
publishing the opinion piece totally in support of Mr Palmer, the Liberal Party
elected her its state president—in the full knowledge that she is an
ally of Mr Palmer. As for the National Party, we know that former Leader of the National Party Brendon Grylls was
flying all over the state in a plane with Mr Palmer. We have these people in absolute lockstep.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members!
Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : Now we have
the bizarre situation of the former first law officer of the commonwealth— think about that—a former Liberal
Attorney-General, now out of Parliament and assisting Mr Palmer in his
rapacious attack on all Australians. It is very, very troubling that the
Liberal Party and the National Party are so supportive of Mr Palmer.
Several members interjected.
Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : Yes—the
Liberal Party and the National Party are in lockstep support of Mr Palmer. They
laugh about their friendship with Mr Palmer; they are so unashamed of it that
they laugh about their friendship with Mr Palmer and their support of Mr
Palmer.
There are some very serious
questions arising out of what I read on the front page of the paper this
morning—very serious questions. The
questions are as follows. Did the former commonwealth Attorney-General, who is
now acting for Mr Palmer, whilst he was Attorney-General receive any
briefings on the Mineralogy amendment act, bearing in mind that that act was
passed in 2020 and the former Liberal Attorney-General was in office until
2021? We know that he was supporting Mr Palmer at that time because he signed
the intervention to the High Court in support of Mr Palmer. The first question
is: did he, whilst he was federal Attorney-General, receive any briefings or
papers in respect of this action?
Dr A.D. Buti : What's
his name?
Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : He is so
infamous; his name is well known to every Australian.
The second question is: during his
period in office as the commonwealth Attorney-General, did he receive any briefing papers regarding Mr Palmer and the
Mineralogy amendment act? These are serious questions about conflict .
Thirdly, was he in cabinet at any stage when the Mineralogy amendment act and
Mr Palmer were discussed? These are very serious and important questions that
the Liberal Party has to answer. It has to answer this because this goes right
to the integrity of government. Did the first law officer of the commonwealth
use knowledge that he received as the commonwealth Attorney-General in securing
this brief to act for Mr Palmer on this outrageous claim against Australia?
I am conscious that I am answering
on limited time in question time —
The SPEAKER : Excellent!
Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : So I will
not give the detail of all the actions that Mr Palmer has initiated. There are
14 in all—not all the 14 are involved in arbitral proceedings, not the
$300 billion claim he has now put in. Of those 13, four have been settled; all
have been withdrawn or discontinued and only in relation to four have we
recovered any order for costs. He is resisting all orders for costs.
I was shocked to see on the front
page this morning that he has initiated a $300 billion claim using as his
solicitor and counsel a former Liberal Attorney-General of Australia and a Liberal
Attorney General of Western Australia. Might I just say this about his
representation: a little while ago, we were served with a notice of intention
to bring proceedings under the free trade
agreement for $30 billion, being the original arbitral award, plus costs and
damages . Since the former Liberal Attorney General has come on board,
that has increased tenfold to $300 billion.
We know that the Liberal and
National Parties are friends of Mr Palmer and work in lockstep with Mr Palmer.
We know this. Indeed, we know that in 2020, after we passed the legislation, a Miss
Caroline Di Russo, who describes herself as a businesswoman and an unrepentant
nerd, published an opinion piece entirely supportive of Mr Palmer, and after
publishing the opinion piece totally in support of Mr Palmer, the Liberal Party
elected her its state president—in the full knowledge that she is an
ally of Mr Palmer. As for the National Party, we know that former Leader of the National Party Brendon Grylls was
flying all over the state in a plane with Mr Palmer. We have these people in absolute lockstep.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members!
Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : Now we have
the bizarre situation of the former first law officer of the commonwealth— think about that—a former Liberal
Attorney-General, now out of Parliament and assisting Mr Palmer in his
rapacious attack on all Australians. It is very, very troubling that the
Liberal Party and the National Party are so supportive of Mr Palmer.
Several members interjected.
Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : Yes—the
Liberal Party and the National Party are in lockstep support of Mr Palmer. They
laugh about their friendship with Mr Palmer; they are so unashamed of it that
they laugh about their friendship with Mr Palmer and their support of Mr
Palmer.
There are some very serious
questions arising out of what I read on the front page of the paper this
morning—very serious questions. The
questions are as follows. Did the former commonwealth Attorney-General, who is
now acting for Mr Palmer, whilst he was Attorney-General receive any
briefings on the Mineralogy amendment act, bearing in mind that that act was
passed in 2020 and the former Liberal Attorney-General was in office until
2021? We know that he was supporting Mr Palmer at that time because he signed
the intervention to the High Court in support of Mr Palmer. The first question
is: did he, whilst he was federal Attorney-General, receive any briefings or
papers in respect of this action?
Dr A.D. Buti : What's
his name?
Mr J.R. QUIGLEY : He is so
infamous; his name is well known to every Australian.
The second question is: during his
period in office as the commonwealth Attorney-General, did he receive any briefing papers regarding Mr Palmer and the
Mineralogy amendment act? These are serious questions about conflict .
Thirdly, was he in cabinet at any stage when the Mineralogy amendment act and
Mr Palmer were discussed? These are very serious and important questions that
the Liberal Party has to answer. It has to answer this because this goes right
to the integrity of government. Did the first law officer of the commonwealth
use knowledge that he received as the commonwealth Attorney-General in securing
this brief to act for Mr Palmer on this outrageous claim against Australia?
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