“Why did they bring this up this week?” Mr Palmer said. “Why is the government, ministers and the departments handing stuff to Rupert Murdoch?”
Quite right Mr Palmer, why is the Abbott government handing “stuff” to Rupert Murdoch?
“The Clean Energy Regulator is currently investigating whether Queensland Nickel Pty Ltd has made any payments towards the debt in the last 24 hours,” a spokeswoman for the Clean Energy Regulator said.
“We have no record of payment having been received at this stage”.
Already well and truly on the public record is Clive Palmer’s objection to the carbon tax with Palmer stating in November last year that, “the Abbott government should sue him if they want to get the $6.17m in carbon tax owed by his company Queensland Nickel“.
However to Clive Palmer’s credit,
Palmer United Party federal leader and Member for Fairfax Clive Palmer will abstain on voting on the Abbott government’s carbon tax repeal legislation package despite the party’s opposition to the carbon tax…
“I’m applying company director standards and stepping out of this debate as there’s currently a potential conflict of interest,” Mr Palmer said.
This being a most refreshing attitude coming from the right of politics where conscience and money are never normally an issue.
The fact Clean Energy Regulators is/was “currently investigating” came as a huge shock. . . just to know that the CER is still with us.
New prime minister Tony Abbott wasted little time after the swearing-in of his conservative Liberal National Party coalition, delivering immediately on his promise to repeal or dismantle all institutions and policy measures involving climate change and clean energy.
Therefore even more of a shock is Tony Abbott’s statement of yesterday that Clive Palmer should forthwith pay his taxes, taxes which are a direct result of the price on carbon. Surely there should be some sympathy given Abbott’s endless rants against the carbon tax, including that Whyalla would be wiped off the map. So incensed was Tony Abbott that he called on Labor and the Greens to “repent”. However, not to get between a politician, some pre-election rhetoric and a dollar, Abbott has now insisted that Clive cough up. **Apparently Mr Palmer has paid, but that wasn’t going to stop The Australian running the story anyway.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has insisted that Mr Palmer should respect the law and that his company should pay its outstanding taxes.
But I thought that Tony Abbott was so vehemently against the price on carbon that he will call a double dissolution election should he fail to get a repeal through the Senate.
“. . .if an incoming Coalition government can’t get its carbon tax repeal legislation through the Senate, well, we will not hesitate to go to a double dissolution.”
I would say, bring it on Tony. If your grandstanding about Palmer not having paid a bill which he has in fact paid is the best that you can currently dredge up, I would suggest that you go back to your knights and dames.
Follow @MinkelCT
Café Whispers 
I don’t trust or support Hodor is any way or form. As far as I’m concerned, he was a member of the most corrupt outfit ever seen in Australia, the Queensland LNP – has everyone forgotten about the Fitzgerald Inquiry already? As far as I’m concerned, Joh’s sugar daddy (see http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2007/07/20/1184560003802.html) is still one of them, and he always will be.
Shiny but empty rhetoric about being ‘different’ to the two major parties while putting up miscellaneous wingnuts and recycling failed Liberal Party wannabees and neverwozzas as candidates might fool some, but it doesn’t fool me and it shouldn’t fool you.
Ah, and the “carbon tax” myth rises again: “Well we don’t actually have a carbon tax; what we have is an emissions trading scheme with a fixed price for a first three years.” (Professor Ross Garnaut on July 1, 2013).
I have no personal love for Clive Palmer, & sincerely doubt his motives for entering politics, but this whole thing with the Coalition & News Corpse stinks to high heaven. For a government so intent on abolishing the Carbon Price, I wonder why they’re so keen to pursue Palmer over this unpaid debt. This is corruption writ large, make no mistake.
Abbott is reeking of desperation at the moment, and this is another sign of it.
From using his PM government website for direct Liberal party campaigning, which is illegal in every sense, and not a peep from the MSM or right wingers, to almost daily electioneering stunts, mostly involving the military, still 30 months out from an election, this incident with Palmer plus others involving Ltd News and bringing in his wife are all signs that Abbott mustn’t be traveling well and his minders are seeking every diversion they can muster.
Time and again I state this is the worst government lead by the worst PM by far ever, and time and again they prove it.
“led” not “lead”. Though a lump of lead describes Abbott’s brain quite well.
It’s disturbing that Abbott’s hypocrisy wasn’t questioned by the media. No one cares.
Roswell it’s obvious Abbott is a protected species. Whilst they’re actively causing other rare and endangered species to go extinct, they’re going out of their way at great expense for the taxpayer to protect the worst non-native pest this country has ever endured.
I would like to know the reason $882 million was refunded to Murdochs Newscorp after 25 years. Can someone please explain?
Off topic, but maybe one of the reasons Abbott is looking for distraction at the moment.
More businesses closing down under this government as the suicide rate in Australia hits a new high. Indeed the last time the rate was this high was under Howard.
One closure I’m glad to see the back of and that’s Philip Morris closing cigarette manufacturing but the other is another sign of business malaise in BP closing a refinery costing hundreds of jobs.
Can someone explain to me why, if we’ve never had it so good under Liberal governments, do all the well being indicators plummet under them?
Mobius and,
Consider this *amazing coincidence*…
And at exactly the same time..
I wonder how many people realise that Abbott also lost on his other VIP legislation, VIP after the carbon tax or were we all so busy laughing about knights and dames that Abbott’s failure slipped under the radar?
Hello to M E, Not that the Chameleon man has ever had good popularity But when in Opposition He made So much fuss about everything acting as a good opposition Leader should, Lying not being a problem, The Labor Government were handicapped by the Hung Parliament So Good OLE Tony sounded like our Saviour And Bagged the Labor party at every chance, NOW that the clown is in charge of the Circus He is being shown up as a Man with No Vision for Australias Future BUT he is still Flopping around trying to seem a nice Guy 100% Failure there, EVEN peter Reith has Lampooned his Knights and Dames captains call Even Honest John has said WTF , It would seem that Electors from all persuasion have had enough of his Stupid Stunts with no Substance on Offer. Its going to get worse for him as He Offers Nothing , I hear there is another March being Planned for Late August lets make it Bigger and Better It will be a Great day when he goes
Too true greg toland.
I look at the almost daily news pieces of Abbott running around doing stunts and distractions, then think back to his constant parade of stunts as LOTO and I see no difference from then until now.
I also remember Rudd’s early months in office and from day one he being constantly bashed by the MSM and opposition for being all about stunts, spin and no substance.
You want to see Liberal projection in action, compare Abbott’s blatantly obvious stunts and spin, to even using the public service and government resources for party political campaigning, to the the little half baked stuff Rudd did, most of which were media beat ups anyway.
Imagine the outcry from the MSM if Rudd or Gillard had used the PM’s government website and public service for transpicuous party propaganda to garner election votes. Yet all I see on this are diversions and all I hear are crickets.
I just say bring it on, double dissolution election!
Is there any real chance that TA won’t get to rescind the Carbon Tax?
I am just appalled and ashamed of this govts tactics, changing vilification laws because of 1 dreadful person commenting on light skinned indeginous people. Recently in a class group when quite a few were agreeing with these comments, I might add all with British/Scots accents, I simply pointed out that way back when, so often the British male settlers took it upon themselves to rape their indeginous female staff, thus producing lighter skinned children….silence, no comments.
The treatment of Asylum seekers is nothing short of barbaric. All should at least have a chance to make their case. I have been to Manus Island, lived in New Guinea, difficult then probably dangerous now.
Jeanette wait until you hear their latest.
The government is going after groups like Greenpeace and other protest groups by seeking to have laws that will heavily punish them if they don’t tell the truth.
Do you believe that?
From a group that are the greatest liars this country has ever seen bar none, even more so than the great liar Howard, comes laws that will force others to be truthful under threat of heavy punishment but will allow them and their masters, including their mouthpiece media, to lie with impunity.