News.com.au
Clive Palmer delivers his maiden speech to parliament
Billionaire MP Clive Palmer delivers his maiden speech to federal parliament, calling on Australians to ‘pull together for the common good under the Southern Cross’.
Clive Palmer delivers his maiden speech to parliament
news.com.au
02 December 2013
Spied on? … Clive Palmer delivers his maiden speech in parliament. Pic: Strange Ray Source: News Limited
CONTROVERSIAL mining magnate turned politician Clive Palmer says he is worried Australia’s top spy agency ASIO is listening into his phone calls and monitoring his emails.
The billionaire, who was elected into the Sunshine Coast electorate of Fairfax in September, said he was speaking to fellow MPs about potentially setting up an inquiry to uncover the extent of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s spying on politicians.
You’re being watched … Palmer talks with Queensland MP Bob Katter. Source: News Limited
Mr Palmer said he was “surprised” when crossbench senator Nick Xenophon first shone a light on political surveillance in the Senate recently and revealed that some politicians were having their phones tapped and emails checked by spooks.
“That’s a very disturbing thing generally for Australia,” Mr Palmer said.
“I’d be interested in knowing if my phone is tapped, are my emails being intercepted?
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“I would also be interested in knowing if ASIO has any other foreign intelligence services reporting the activities of the members of this place because we all know the plausible deniability that has been used in Washington, London and most of the other intelligence services when they get other intelligence services to do their dirty work.”
Mr Palmer, who has recently been involved in funding and building a replica of the Titanic, said a full inquiry into the extent of the spying should be considered.
“It’s very disappointing and it is very dangerous that this type of political surveillance is going on and we need to do something to stop it,” Mr Palmer said.
“I’ll be talking about (an inquiry) to other members because it is very disturbing that this type of thing is going on.”
Mr Palmer’s suspicions over political surveillance comes as the government is dealing with the fallout of the Indonesian spying saga and new revelations that the Defence Signals Directorate was collecting metadata from everyday citizens.
The Abbott government has already confirmed it is bracing for more embarrassing intelligence leaks but says it will not take a backwards step on spying.
Defence Minister David Johnston has told industry and defence experts that the government is assuming the worst when it comes to further possible leaks from fugitive US intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The event in Canberra on Monday was closed to the media but audio was obtained by The West Australian newspaper and made available on its website.
“Suffice to say that this is not an area that I can get into in great detail, but I simply say assume the worst,” Senator Johnston told the gathering.
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Clive Palmer has credited his party with the coalition government’s election.
“We are watching with great acuity what is happening in the space. But we must assume the worst. There is no alternative for us.”
Senator Johnston says the “Five Eyes” intelligence sharing arrangement between Australian, the US, the UK, Canada and New Zealand had achieved “amazing and wonderful things”.
“We have invested far too much to even contemplate a backward step,” he said.
“We must assume the worst but we’ve got to toughen up and get on with the job.”
Mr Palmer’s comments this morning follow his maiden speech in parliament yesterday in which he spoke of his family and his love for Australia, called for unity, more women in parliament and a bigger effort to get the nation back on track.