Proud of your support for Palmer, are you Aussie?
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‘When told he can’t have something, he doesn’t understand the word no’. Clive Palmer in parliament yesterday. Source: Getty Images
PUBLIC servant Maureen Weeks was seen shaking. Her hands trembled and the redness of her eyes gave away her obvious distress.
A witness, who had been increasingly concerned for her as she repeatedly went in and out of the Senate chamber, described to The Australian his disgust at what he subsequently discovered was occurring behind closed doors: a bellowing, bullying tirade by Clive Palmer, furious he was not getting his way.
Parts of the performance were confirmed by Palmer in the days following, but instead of apologising he has denigrated others — respected staff in the office of the Clerk of the Senate, people such as Weeks and her boss. Palmer reckons they should lose their jobs.
These people, Weeks among them, knew — and had tried to explain to the founder of the Palmer United Party — that his last-minute, half-baked carbon-tax amendments effectively amounted to a new “tax”, and could not possibly fly in the Senate last week.
Their efforts to reason with him fell on deaf ears; he yelled and talked about going to the High Court.
“Maureen was very upset — she was holding papers and her hands were shaking,” said the witness.
“She had been doing the drafting in her role as the PUP’s drafter, but each time she tried to hand over the amendments that Clive had demanded in the office, Rosemary (Senate Clerk Rosemary Laing), said ‘No, no — they cannot work’.
“Maureen knew that already, and she was distraught — she looked stricken and she said: ‘Well what do I do? He just keeps demanding that they go through.’ ”
Palmer’s naivety about the constraints of the upper house can be traced to his lack of experience with one. In the 1980s when he was trying to influence then premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen and the National Party, Queensland did not have an upper house.
Nothing has changed.
The surprising thing about the public’s adverse reaction to Palmer in the 48 hours since his Senate tantrum was revealed is that many people are surprised.
This is trademark behaviour — accounts of fierce shouting, bullying and threatening of his staff and others, in meetings including at his Sunshine Coast dinosaur park and golf resort, are commonplace. Managers have been blasted as “lazy, thieving, c…s”.
Mardi Mackie, a former resort duty manager, is one of many who have told The Australian that working for Palmer was intolerable. “Unless you can experience it for yourself, it’s impossible for other people to understand how unbelievable it was,” she said.
Mike Hennessy, Palmer’s former bodyguard and security manager who worked closely with him until late last year, described him as an “egotistical bully”.
He predicted in The Australian last November: “The people of Australia are going to see it. It’s going to come out when he gets into parliament, because when he gets told he can’t have something, he doesn’t understand the word ‘no’.
“He abuses resort staff on a regular basis and the language is quite explicit to the point where I know of staff (who) have (felt) sick wondering what sort of retribution they are going to get if they tell him that something’s not available to him. He is Jekyll and Hyde.”
On the campaign trail last year, Hennessy witnessed the other side: the Palmer charm offensive.
“He promises them everything, shakes their hand, does the baby-kissing thing, and he (said to me): ‘Well, that went well, Mike, I’ve got them all f..ked,’ ” Hennessy said.
Staff have leaked to The Australian cases of Palmer’s foul-mouthed abuse, including his rant against a $950-a-night guest and French executive, Didier Guerin, who had sent back an overcooked steak.
Palmer ordered security to kick the loyal guest and his wife off the resort in a scene that appalled onlookers and evoked Fawlty Towers, without the laughs.
Palmer’s Chinese partners regard their commercial relationship as an abusive one. He has been caught out in a recorded conversation abusing a Chinese executive of Citic Pacific, ordering the man to “tell your chairman to stick it up his arse”, that they were “little shits”, and should “pack up all your f..king gear” at their near $10 billion project, all funded with Chinese money, and “get back to China”.
It has taken a while for more people to know about the real Palmer. This is partly because his money, and his propensity to sue people — another classic bullying-and-gagging strategy — buy him a measure of protection.
Many are intimidated and remain silent out of worry they may lose their house if he brings a legal action.
The Queensland government stood up to him by refusing to do him favours on a Galilee Basin coal province, prompting Palmer to form PUP and to vow to wreak revenge.
With his pledge last week to the Senate Clerk’s staff that he would go to the High Court to validate his wrong-headed position on the carbon tax amendments, Palmer was again wielding the big legal stick. He’ll sue at the drop of a hat.
Another reason it has taken a while can be traced to Palmer’s courtship of sections of media and his folksy epithets. He has been able to project an image of an eccentric, successful and harmlessly funny uncle.
As the public and more journalists see his antics as a pox on democracy, an assault on the fair go, and an international embarrassment, his image is being remade to something closer to reality.
Many of Palmer’s parliamentary colleagues seem to have twigged to his true colours.
South Australian independent Nick Xenophon, into his second six-year term, said yesterday: “Clive Palmer’s remarks about the Clerk of the Senate are cowardly, they are unwarranted, and Clive Palmer should apologise.
“These are the remarks of a bully and a coward. He simply doesn’t know what he’s talking about and he’s diminishing himself rather than diminishing the institution of the Senate.”
Democratic Labour Party senator John Madigan described Palmer’s attack as a “low blow” that does him “no credit”.
“I’d suggest play the issue, not the person,” he said. “The staff of the Senate are not to be attacked. I think it’s a low blow. It does Mr Palmer no credit.”
When PUP’s senators work out they can draw a taxpayer-funded pay cheque, be constructive in public life and vote in the Senate, without having to put up with Palmer pulling their strings and yelling it will be all over.
