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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 561 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 18 August 2020 by Mr C.J. Tallentire

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

IRON ORE PROCESSING (MINERALOGY PTY. LTD.) AGREEMENT AMENDMENT BILL 2020

561. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Premier:

I refer to the urgent legislation that passed through Parliament last week aimed at protecting the state from the unique and unprecedented action being taken by Clive Palmer, Mineralogy and International Minerals.

(1) Can the Premier advise the house whether these laws affect any other companies, projects or state agreement acts in WA?

(2) Can the Premier outline to the house why WA remains a safe and stable place to invest?

Mr M. McGOWAN replied:

(1)–(2) I thank the member for Thornlie for the question. The legislation we passed last week was extraordinary. It was the right thing to do. I want to reassure everyone that this is a targeted law specific to an unprecedented set of circumstances. The law is focused on resolving an isolated dispute. Western Australia will continue to be a safe and stable place to invest. The law that we passed does not apply to any other project, any other state agreement or any other company other than Mineralogy and International Minerals. The law does not take away Mr Palmer's right to proceed with the Balmoral South project if he wishes. The law does not override Mineralogy or International Minerals' rights to develop that project. It does not affect his ability to sell that right to someone else. The law protects Western Australians from an unprecedented course of action that Mr Palmer was taking. It protects Western Australia from a $30 billion damages claim, all because Mr Palmer chose not to proceed with the project with the conditions that were placed upon it by Mr Barnett. Instead of choosing to make a profit by establishing a mining project at Balmoral South, as is his right, Mr Palmer decided to try to make money via litigation. No-one has ever tried to do that before. No company has ever tried to do that before. It is unthinkable that someone could bankrupt a state in Australia just because they were not happy with the conditions set by a state government on a project.

Mr D.T. Redman interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Warren–Blackwood.

Mr M. McGOWAN: The Nationals WA were very good last week, so please.

Mr D.T. Redman interjected.

Mr M. McGOWAN: You were. I express my thanks. The Nationals WA were good; I did not say the Liberal Party was good.

The chief executive of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia, Paul Everingham, said —

� the WA Government took very unique action against a very unique dispute on behalf of the people of WA. While some of the proposed amendments are unprecedented, it should be made clear the proposed amendments have no relevance to and are not proposed to be extended to any other such agreements. As such, the resources sector does not believe that the actions by the WA Government will be detrimental to the resources sector. The resources sector does not believe that the actions by the WA Government will harm investment in WA.

All we have done is protect the taxpayers, and therefore industry, in Western Australia from someone who wanted to bankrupt our state. The Attorney General noted that Mr Palmer went public last week, and he said the claims about $30 billion were wrong. He refused to put a figure on it, members might recall. He did not put a figure on it when asked repeatedly on radio and other programs. He refused to put a figure. But he said $30 billion was wrong.

So in order to clear up the record, the Attorney General has just tabled Mr Palmer's statement of issues, facts and contentions—in other words, his statement of claim. The Attorney General has just tabled Mr Palmer's statement of claim, and, within it, the figure, when we add up all the damages claims, comes to around $30 billion; and, on top of that, he is seeking unspecified damages. In other words, this document demonstrates that Mr Palmer was seeking in excess of $30 billion from the people of Western Australia. What is more, Mr Palmer's name, Clive Frederick Palmer, is on the front of the document. On the back of the document, is Mr Palmer's signature, ''Clive F Palmer, Representative, Mineralogy Pty Ltd.'' So Mr Palmer, when he claims that the figures that we used last week were wrong, has been shown to not be telling the truth. In other words, the document just tabled proves that Mr Palmer was seeking to take $12 000 from every man, women and child in this state.

I have also noted that Mr Palmer has started a major advertising campaign, with radio ads and newspaper ads, and I expect there will be more. That is what bullies do when they are stood up to. That is what people like Mr Palmer do when they are stood up to. When we take them on, they do things like that. His ads are littered with untruths. I urge all Western Australians to understand when they hear these ads, and when they hear this negativity about me and the government, that it is all being funded by one Clive Palmer, who wants to take $30 billion from the people of this state.