Controversial billionaire and political aspirant Clive Palmer has come under fire for reportedly buying a vintage bulletproof Mercedes-Benz once owned by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
News Corp reports the leader of the United Australia Party (UAP) bought the 1939 770 Grosser Offener Tourenwagen, or "Super Mercedes", from an unnamed Russian billionaire.
A spokesman for Mr Palmer described the reports as "fake news".
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews warned Mr Palmer will face the full weight of Australian law if the allegations are true and the purchase and importation of the car breaches import, customs and sanctions rules.
When the vehicle was auctioned in 2018 by a specialist auction house in the United States, the dealer promoted it as "the most historically significant automobile ever offered for public sale", seized by the US Army in 1945 and existing as a "definitive memorial of Allied triumph over evil".
West Australian Labor MP Patrick Gorman wrote to Ms Andrews on Monday, demanding the federal government investigate Mr Palmer's alleged purchase.
"Many of my constituents are concerned with this purchase and the message it sends," he wrote.
Mr Gorman went on to question the credentials of the seller, arguing it needed to be "urgently investigated".
"As the name of this individual is not yet known, there is the potential that Mr Clive Palmer may find himself in breach of Australian sanctions," he wrote.
The timing of the alleged acquisition is currently unclear, although the Courier Mail reports that negotiations took place over two years.
Ms Andrews said it would be up to Mr Palmer to explain the alleged purchase.
"If an individual contravenes our sanctions regime, there will be serious consequences under Australian law," she said.
"The government absolutely condemns any glorification of Nazi history and neo-Nazi extremist activity in Australia.
"I understand why people may find this purchase by Clive Palmer offensive."
There is no suggestion that Mr Palmer has ever expressed support or sympathy for the Nazi movement.
Mr Palmer is a renowned collector of classic cars and used to arrive at federal parliament in a Rolls Royce during his three-year stint as the Member for Fairfax.
If the reports are accurate, he will have to ensure the Mercedes-Benz does not contain any asbestos — often present in the brake and clutch components of vintage vehicles — before it is imported to Australia.
Failure to do so could result in a fine of $180,000, or three times the value of the car, against Mr Palmer — or $900,000 or 15 times the value of the car if it was purchased and imported by one of his companies.
More than 24 hours after the ABC contacted Mr Palmer's representatives through the UAP for comment, his spokesman said it was "fake news".
"Clive Palmer hasn’t bought Adolf Hitler's car," he said without elaborating any further.
In 2018, when the Super Mercedes was being sold through the Arizona-based Worldwide Auctioneers, it was described as one of only five surviving models.
"It did not choose its user or its use," a cached version of the auction house website said.
"People — with the fallibility and prejudices all too often part of human nature — were responsible for that.
"If the original Hitlerian provenance of this Mercedes can be set aside, if only momentarily, surviving examples of the Mercedes-Benz 770 'Grosser', or 'Super Mercedes', remain quite likely the world's greatest achievement in terms of automotive design, engineering, and construction."
The auction house goes on to state it was used in a parade to welcome Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in 1940 and Hitler's victory parade through Berlin after the defeat of France later that year.
Mr Palmer was scheduled to give an address to the National Press Club last week but was forced to cancel after he fell ill with COVID-19.
