Billionaire businessman Clive Palmer sought and gained a personal audience with Queensland Premier David Crisafulli over a “matter of commercial significance” related to his interests in the state, but the details have been blocked from public release.
This masthead sought documents relating to three meetings between the pair disclosed in Crisafulli’s official diary over 12 months from last August, most recently after Palmer changed the name of his coal operation.
Only one text message was found and released by the Department of Premier and Cabinet under Right to Information laws, but with key segments redacted as they were deemed “contrary to the public interest”.
Crisafulli’s government has taken an unapologetically pro-coal stance, vowing to keep its fossil-fuel power stations running longer and creating new hurdles for renewable projects and mine objections, while expanding state approval powers.
The approaches by the state’s richest man came as he rekindled ties with the Nationals – one half of the formally merged state LNP, which now faces a threat from One Nation, and once competed against Palmer’s own political projects.
Crisafulli’s deputy, the Sunshine Coast-based Jarrod Bleijie, has also on several occasions met with Australia’s richest person, One Nation-backer Gina Rinehart – who lobbied him directly for Olympic rowing to be held in Rockhampton.
The message released to this masthead this week, the exact dates of which are not disclosed, appears to show a representative of Palmer apologising to a Crisafulli staffer for a late call attempting to set up a meeting between the pair.
A section then appearing to explain the reason for the request is redacted under provisions relating to matters deemed by the Right to Information officer to be “contrary to the public interest”, with a suggestion the meeting happen at Crisafulli’s Broadwater electorate office.
The Paradise Point shopfront is just a five-minute drive from some of Palmer’s extensive, multimillion-dollar property holdings on the nearby man-made Sovereign Islands.
“Feel free to call tomorrow or Clive directly,” the message signs off. A morning meeting then appeared to be confirmed for Parliament House in Brisbane instead.
In explaining the redaction, the departmental officer acknowledged disclosure of the information may promote further open discussion and “enhance government accountability”.
But this was overshadowed by the weight applied to the impact this detail being made public would have on “the business’ competitive position and, consequently, its business and commercial affairs”.
“A small amount of the information relates to a matter of commercial significance, which relates to non-public information about the status and progression of business and commercial activities,” the decision letter read.
“Disclosure would make that information available to competitors and other commercial participants.”
Both Crisafulli and Palmer have previously failed to respond to this masthead’s questions about their meetings, which were categorised as “portfolio matters” and only on one occasion were said to also feature staff. Neither have yet responded to follow-up approaches this week.
No correspondence between Palmer and the premier directly, or between representatives of the two, or documents relating to the three diarised meetings were located in Right to Information searches within either the premier’s office or the department.
Disclosures in the state’s lobbying register by Palmer’s lobbyist Malcolm Cole and the diary of Crisafulli’s chief of staff, Richard Ferrett, have described two related interactions by that pair as “commercial-in-confidence”.
One entry by Ferrett in August was described as “discussion regarding Energy A’s proposed coal mining operations in Queensland”. Cole’s said the talks related to the resources, energy and state development portfolios.
Palmer’s Mineralogy also made a rare foray back into state political donations this year, tipping $3800 into LNP coffers for an event ticket on a date aligning with the party’s “Delivering for Queensland Industry Update” at which one property developer paid $50,000 for a lunch with Bleijie.
Energy A also handed Queensland Labor $5000 on August 10 for tickets to a “fundraising event”, which Palmer was said to have not attended.
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