PALMER BREAKS SILENCE ON QLD NICKEL

PALMER BREAKS SILENCE ON QLD NICKEL

CLIVE Palmer says he will personally write to every household in the Townsville community, "telling them the truth" about what happened to his failing Queensland Nickel (QNI) company.

The politician has broken the silence for the first time since his refinery announced it had made 237 workers redundant and entered voluntary administration.

"I have so far refrained from responding on this issue as it is not a political one,'' says Palmer.

The federal member for Fairfax has shot at the media and politicians for using QNI's misfortune as a 'political football'.

"We continue to see media misrepresentation about the refinery - the media are fuelling political debate on the issue when it is a matter that is seriously challenging QNI and the people of North Queensland," he says.

"Voluntary administrators have been appointed and are now conducting affairs, with a creditors' meeting in Townsville scheduled for January 29.

"It is not reasonable for the Premier, her Labor government or the Opposition to politically grandstand while the administration process is underway."

Palmer went on to say that politicians and the media are wrong to alarm the community with hypotheticals of what may or may not happen.

"Many media reports, particularly those by News Limited, have been untrue and alarmist based on a personal vendetta against me by Rupert Murdoch after I publicly said his former wife Wendi Deng was a Chinese spy," says Palmer.

"Mr Murdoch has never refuted these comments."

Palmer says News Limited has dismissed many more workers than QNI without ever discussing the mass sackings.

"As my family woke this morning they were greeted by News Limited photographers outside our home, even though this is in breach of section 227A of the Queensland Criminal Code," he says.

"As yet the Queensland Police have failed to take action against media breeching this code, saying the press were entitled to do so.

"Rupert Murdoch has unprecedented control and is a threat to democracy in this country. Is his power so great that it influences how the police do their work?''

Palmer says he will refrain from making further comments on the QNI issue until after the Townsville administrators meeting.

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