Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to talk about the outcome of a motion put before the Senate earlier today, a motion moved by the Palmer United Party. I have had to remain back to take this speaking opportunity tonight, because it was absolutely clear that the Palmer United Party, along with the Labor Party and the Australian Greens, were going to ensure for certain that this place never got the opportunity to debate the motion that was presented today not for the first time, but for the second time. There may not be any ongoing debate, but it will not deny me the opportunity to bring some matters to the attention of Palmer's new parties—the Palmer Labor Party and the Palmer Green Party.

We particularly need to alert our friends in the Greens about some issues that have occurred between Palmer and the Queensland government. This is probably the most unusual alignment that I have seen in a long time. One of the country's biggest miners in industries that disturb more of the environment than most now has a partnership—where I think Palmer is the senior partner—that relates to matters of the environment. Mr Palmer, in a private capacity through his companies, has been seeking to get approvals in my state of Queensland that will create wholesale disturbance of enormous tracts of land. These are the things that the Greens have rallied against for all of their time in this place, and yet today they surrendered to Palmer to join him in an action to advance their own cause, their common cause. That cause would be the hatred of our very, very popular and increasingly popular Premier of Queensland, Mr Campbell Newman—one of the best premiers we have had there, certainly in the last quarter of a century, Premier Borbidge aside.

Here are some interesting facts. I am going to speak slowly—pick your up pen and take some notes. Seriously: this is what you have signed up to. This document here is the terms that Palmer has presented in an attempt to settle failed litigation with the Queensland government. This is very, very important. The opening sentence should alert you all and strike fear into your hearts. One of the conditions is that the government, if they accept these terms, must use all of their endeavours to have Clive's agreement ratified by the Queensland parliament. And listen to this one—this is an interesting one for our oldest political party in the country, which pretends to support law and order: they must not invoke or use any provision of the law brought into force by the Economic Development Act, build or act on Palmer's investments. He is seeking—