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| Clive Palmer threatens to sue Rupert Murdoch over newspaper criticism | Clive Palmer threatens to sue Rupert Murdoch over newspaper criticism |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Clive Palmer says he will sue Rupert Murdoch following a critical piece about the businessman and minor party leader in the Australian. | Clive Palmer says he will sue Rupert Murdoch following a critical piece about the businessman and minor party leader in the Australian. |
| Thursday's comment piece by Hedley Thomas questioned Palmer's public identity amid predictions that his party could win the sixth Queensland Senate seat. | Thursday's comment piece by Hedley Thomas questioned Palmer's public identity amid predictions that his party could win the sixth Queensland Senate seat. |
| "Contrary to the flim-flam and spin, Clive Frederick Palmer is not a professor, not an adviser to the G20, not a mining magnate, not a legal guru and not an advocate for freedom of speech. He's probably not a billionaire," Thomas wrote. | "Contrary to the flim-flam and spin, Clive Frederick Palmer is not a professor, not an adviser to the G20, not a mining magnate, not a legal guru and not an advocate for freedom of speech. He's probably not a billionaire," Thomas wrote. |
| The piece describes Palmer as a former "electoral mouthpiece" for "bent premier" Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and questions whether he is delusional to call himself "professor" without qualifications or to claim a role as a high-level adviser to the G20. | The piece describes Palmer as a former "electoral mouthpiece" for "bent premier" Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and questions whether he is delusional to call himself "professor" without qualifications or to claim a role as a high-level adviser to the G20. |
| Palmer responded on Thursday morning on the Seven Network's Sunrise program. "Murdoch will be sued by me today and will be brought to Australia to answer these questions in the supreme court. | Palmer responded on Thursday morning on the Seven Network's Sunrise program. "Murdoch will be sued by me today and will be brought to Australia to answer these questions in the supreme court. |
| "It's time this fellow was brought to account, this foreigner who tries to dictate what we do." | "It's time this fellow was brought to account, this foreigner who tries to dictate what we do." |
| Palmer said he did not know whether he was a billionaire and that he never claimed to be a mining magnate. | Palmer said he did not know whether he was a billionaire and that he never claimed to be a mining magnate. |
| "All I've said is I'm an Australian and I want to stand in the election," he said. | "All I've said is I'm an Australian and I want to stand in the election," he said. |
| Palmer also appeared on Channel Nine's Today show, where he launched an angry tirade against Murdoch and Thomas, describing Thomas as "like Black Caviar with a broken leg". | Palmer also appeared on Channel Nine's Today show, where he launched an angry tirade against Murdoch and Thomas, describing Thomas as "like Black Caviar with a broken leg". |
| "I don't answer anything from Hedley Thomas, sorry," he said. "He's just an apparatchik of Rupert Murdoch from New York. Rupert Murdoch's wife Wendi Deng is a Chinese spy … She's been spying on Rupert for years, giving back to Chinese intelligence." | "I don't answer anything from Hedley Thomas, sorry," he said. "He's just an apparatchik of Rupert Murdoch from New York. Rupert Murdoch's wife Wendi Deng is a Chinese spy … She's been spying on Rupert for years, giving back to Chinese intelligence." |
| Murdoch filed for divorce from Deng in June. | Murdoch filed for divorce from Deng in June. |
| On Wednesday, Palmer told Guardian Australia Murdoch was "an alien to Australia" and the Australian was "not a newspaper but a propaganda publication for a foreign citizen". | On Wednesday, Palmer told Guardian Australia Murdoch was "an alien to Australia" and the Australian was "not a newspaper but a propaganda publication for a foreign citizen". |
| Guardian Australia had contacted Palmer to question claims made in another story in the Australian on Wednesday, co-written by Thomas, alleging Palmer had emailed staff at his Queensland nickel refinery and put pressure on them to volunteer at polling booths on election day on behalf of Palmer United party candidates. | Guardian Australia had contacted Palmer to question claims made in another story in the Australian on Wednesday, co-written by Thomas, alleging Palmer had emailed staff at his Queensland nickel refinery and put pressure on them to volunteer at polling booths on election day on behalf of Palmer United party candidates. |
| Asked about that story, Palmer said Murdoch "has been instructing the Australian and News Limited to print false or misleading articles about me. It's not unusual for people who are standing for parliament for the first time to seek the support of their work colleagues. [The story is] just a beat-up by a bias [sic] news limited." | Asked about that story, Palmer said Murdoch "has been instructing the Australian and News Limited to print false or misleading articles about me. It's not unusual for people who are standing for parliament for the first time to seek the support of their work colleagues. [The story is] just a beat-up by a bias [sic] news limited." |
| Palmer went on: "The Australian is featuring minor issues and building them up as national issues, diverting attention away from things like the economy, foreign affairs, social security – things that should be discussed before an election. That's why [Kevin] Rudd and [Tony] Abbott have been so boring. | Palmer went on: "The Australian is featuring minor issues and building them up as national issues, diverting attention away from things like the economy, foreign affairs, social security – things that should be discussed before an election. That's why [Kevin] Rudd and [Tony] Abbott have been so boring. |
| "They are targeting me. No doubt about that," he said. | "They are targeting me. No doubt about that," he said. |
| On Thursday Palmer's lawyers filed a statement of claim in another legal action he had threatened, against the LNP candidate Mal Brough. | |
| Palmer is suing Brough for more than $800,000 after Brough denied approaching Palmer to fund a sexual harassment case against a political rival. | |
| Palmer claims Brough's recent comments about the sexual harassment case involving Brough's rival for the Sunshine Coast seat of Fisher, Peter Slipper, damaged Palmer's reputation during the election campaign. | |
| Palmer's lawyers have filed a statement of claim in the Queensland supreme court seeking $805,000 in damages from Brough. | |
| "In consequence of the publication and republication of the words: (a) the plaintiff's character and reputation have been injured; (b) he has suffered distress and embarrassment; and (c) he has suffered and will continue to suffer loss and damage," the statement said. | |
| Brough declined to comment on the proceedings. | |
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