Palmer: ‘we are no closer to compromise’

Clive Palmer is no closer to compromise over the budget – despite assurances from the Prime Minister that the Government will consider ‘adjustments’.

The Palmer United Party leader says his senators won’t ‘sell out’ the Australian people and remains opposed to key elements of the budget, including the GP co-payment and fuel excise.

Clive Palmer will meanwhile host a self-styled climate change conference at his Queensland resort the day after the G20 summit wraps up in Brisbane. The mining magnate and Palmer United Party leader claims there are many world leaders who want to discuss climate change at the G20 in November but can’t because the issue isn’t on the agenda.

He’s hoping his counter conference on November 17 will fill the gap and attract a strong crowd to the Palmer Coolum Resort – famous for its dinosaur theme park.

‘We’ll have international leaders from all over the world and the globe, talking about climate change,’ he told ABC’s QA program on Monday.

The Abbott government has faced criticism in some quarters for not including climate change on the official G20 agenda, choosing instead to focus on economic growth, trade and job creation.

PUP will next week introduce a bill to the Senate calling for an emissions trading scheme to be set up in case Australia’s major trading partners adopt a similar scheme.

It’s unclear if Labor supports the proposal, while the government will almost certainly reject it.’We have to realise that if we want to trade with other countries and they have an ETS, they won’t allow our products to enter unless we have a similar scheme,’ he said.

Mr Palmer’s three senators and the Motoring Enthusiast Party’s Ricky Muir last month gave the government the crucial votes it needed to abolish carbon pricing in Australia.

Clive Palmer has also delivered an extraordinary tirade against Australia’s biggest trading partner, describing the Chinese government as ‘mongrels’ who shoot their own people.

In a broad spray on national television, the maverick MP accused the ‘communist Chinese government’ of trying to take over Australia’s ports to steal the nation’s natural resources.

‘I don’t mind standing up against the Chinese bastards and stopping them from doing it,’ he told ABC’s QA program on Monday. The Palmer United Party leader is embroiled in a legal battle with Chinese state-owned company CITIC Pacific, which has accused the mining magnate of siphoning off $12 million in funds.

Mr Palmer has strenuously denied accusations his company Mineralogy misused CITIC Pacific’s cash to finance PUP’s federal election campaign. He said the matter was before the Supreme Court this week and he’d keep up the fight against the ‘Chinese mongrels’.’

I’m saying that because they’re communist, because they shoot their own people, they haven’t got a justice system and they want to take over this country,’ he said. ‘We’re not going to let them do it.

‘A number of Mr Palmer’s political opponents have in the past accused the outspoken Queensland MP of jeopardising Australia’s relations with China. China is Australia’s largest trading partner, with two-way trade hitting nearly $151 billion in 2013.

source: skynews.com.au