Unions have signalled they will campaign on Clive Palmer’s record as a boss in a bid to urge working people not to support the United Australia Party at the election.
The Australian Workers Union national secretary, Daniel Walton, said some members’ experience of the mining billionaire was “not a great one”, citing previous legal battles to get “basic entitlements” in the Queensland Nickel liquidation.
Guardian Australia understands the Australian Council of Trade Unions, of which Walton is vice-president, and its affiliates commissioned focus groups in an attempt to discover the appeal of minor parties, including the UAP and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
The research has so far supported the union movement’s view that One Nation is vulnerable to a campaign, noting its record of voting with the Coalition, while voters could be turned off the UAP by attacks directed at Palmer’s record as a boss.
In the latest Guardian Essential, Newspoll and Resolve polls the UAP is registering 3 to 4% of the vote, enough to put it in contention for Senate seats, while private polling suggests it is winning double digit support in some parts of Sydney.
Walton said: “The lived experience for [some of] our members with Clive Palmer is not a great one.
“The guy does not have any interest in working people in the country.
“You only need to have a look at their experience up at the [Queensland] Nickel refinery in Townsville – and having to undertake several years’ worth of legal proceedings just to get their basic entitlements.”
Unions’ broader campaigning will focus on the need for a fair pay rise to keep pace with inflation and job security, while minor parties will be targeted in communications direct to members. With 1.8m members in affiliated unions, the ACTU boasts it is the largest social movement in the country.
Asked about the campaign against Palmer, Walton confirmed “we will certainly make sure our members hear the story of our members up in north Queensland”.
Queensland Nickel was placed into liquidation in 2016, resulting in the redundancy of hundreds of workers and the federal government stepping in to pay $66m in unpaid entitlements to former employees of the Townsville refinery.
Liquidators pursued debts of up to $200m through a court case in which, on behalf of creditors they claimed Palmer had acted as a shadow director of Queensland Nickel, transferring tens of millions of dollars from the company’s accounts for his own purposes. Part of Palmer’s defence was that a complex corporate structure effectively allowed him to authorise the payments.
In August 2019, in the third week of the trial, the case settled, with Palmer agreeing to pay all outstanding employee entitlements, the majority of unsecured creditors and repaying the $66m to the commonwealth. At the time the liquidators said settlement negotiations began after “the full weight of evidence was laid before the defendants”. Palmer claimed the settlement of the debts had left him “vindicated”. “Today’s settlement confirms the actions against me were nothing more than a witch-hunt designed to smear my good reputation,” he said.
Walton said that members had to sign “individual deeds” with non-disclosure clauses to secure their entitlements, which he labelled “ridiculous”.
“[It was a case of] ‘don’t bag Clive’ – because it took several years to get their money.”
On Tuesday Victoria Trades Hall Council used a report that Clive Palmer had added Hitler’s car to his vintage car collection to satirise his political advertising:
Clive Palmer's latest billboard is wild. https://t.co/FIpn4p8H16 pic.twitter.com/ovkne7iSwm
— Victorian Trades Hall Council (@VicUnions) February 28, 2022
Palmer will also be a target of the Greens, who will use his image to illustrate a campaign calling for a billionaires tax and fighting to win the sixth Senate seat in Queensland, which Palmer is contesting for UAP.
The campaign features Palmer alongside other richlisters including Gina Rinehart, Gerry Harvey and Andrew Forrest.
Greens leader, Adam Bandt, said the party was “coming for Clive [Palmer] and in balance of power we’ll make the billionaires pay a billionaires tax”.
“Clive Palmer is the best argument for a billionaires tax you could ever have,” he said.
“In the Queensland Senate race, it’s a head-to-head contest and a vote for the Greens in Queensland is a vote to stop Clive Palmer getting into the Senate.”
The UAP has suggested at the 2022 election it will outspend its $80m campaign in 2019, prompting renewed calls for spending limits.
In February 2020 Palmer was charged by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission with alleged criminal breaches of corporations law.
The regulator alleges that in August and September 2013 Palmer dishonestly used his position as a director of Mineralogy Pty Ltd to obtain a benefit or advantage for Cosmo Developments Pty Ltd and/or the Palmer United Party by authorising the transfer of $10m, contrary to the purpose for which the funds were being held. They also allege he breached corporate law in 2012 by announcing a takeover of the body corporate behind his Sunshine Coast resort but failing to follow through.
Palmer has denied his actions were inappropriate and has argued that the charges are a breach of his human rights.
Palmer has asked for a declaration from the court that the criminal case against him is an abuse of process and is seeking for the proceedings to be permanently stayed. The matter is back in court on 9 and 10 March.
Guardian Australia contacted Palmer for comment.
