Clive Palmer suffers blow in $30 billion WA damages claim
Queensland mining magnate Clive Palmer has suffered a big blow in his $30 billion iron ore fight against the WA Government, with the state’s Attorney-General John Quigley claiming Palmer has had his legal position “considerably weakened”.
The Queensland Supreme Court has overturned a previous decision in the state that could have thwarted WAās efforts to end the bitter legal fight.
The ruling is unlikely to be the end of the matter, with Palmer still free to challenge WAās actions over the bitter fight in the High Court.
Quigley said Palmerās case was ādead as a doormatā under the latest ruling.
The legal wrangling relates to Palmerās demands for around $30 billion in compensation as a result of the WA Governmentās initial refusal to allow him to develop the Balmoral South iron ore project in the Pilbara region.
The WA Parliament passed unprecedented legislation to terminate Palmerās claim earlier this year, leading to a flurry of lawsuits in multiple states from the Mineralogy boss.
One of those was in Queensland, where he won a ruling that the arbitration awards at the centre of the ruling should be āenforcedā.
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That was potentially crucial to the fight, as it called into question whether WA legislation could overturn a court ruling by another state.
But in a decision handed down on Wednesday, the WA Government had a victory, with the Queensland Supreme Court overturning the previous ruling.
Quigley said it was a big win for the state, arguing it had effectively killed off Palmerās claim.
āIt is dead, dead as a doormat,ā he told ABC Radio Perth.
āI am so relieved, and all Western Australians should be so relieved that weāve had another massive win over this Mr Palmer.ā
The ruling will not prevent Palmer from challenging WAās legislation in the High Court, something the mining billionaire has signalled he will seek to do.
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āBut this win in Queensland considerably weakens his case,ā Quigley said.
The legislation, passed in August, terminated Palmerās claim and prevented him launching fresh legal proceedings about the issue.
Palmer has been contacted for comment about the latest ruling.
He has previously likened WAās legislation to the actions of the North Korean dictatorship, arguing it was unjustified and unconstitutional.
āThe Act destroys Western Australiaās reputation as a place where the rule of law applied,ā he said in August.
āWhat Western Australia has done for the first time in 60 years is to destroy the sanctity of state agreements.ā
Palmer still has multiple pending lawsuits related to that legislation.
But he failed in his High Court challenge to WAās hard border closure, having argued that policy was unconstitutional.
ā ABC / Jacob Kagi
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