Poltics
Clive Palmer is nearly 70 and has extra money than he’ll be able to utilize in his lifetime. So why no longer fund a $1 billion cruise ship undertaking, recreating the doomed ocean liner Titanic and allowing it to finally total its famed maiden voyage from Southampton to New York?
“It’s a lot extra fun to accomplish the Titanic than it is to sit at residence and count my money,” Palmer advised newshounds on Wednesday at a re-launch of his chronically delayed ship mission.
Palmer obtained a fairly sizable press gaggle collectively: some 15 newshounds showed up at the Sydney Opera Dwelling’s Yallamundi Rooms, including staff from News Corp and Guardian Australia. The microphones on the lectern revealed ABC News, Nine News, Channel 10 and Channel 7 were also there.
Palmer, who was in a chatty mood, answered questions for nearly an hour, and claimed, among diversified issues:
- His get rate is “within 10% to 15%” of the $23.66 billion estimated by the Australian Financial Evaluate’s wealthy list — “But we certainly have the potential to accomplish significantly better.”
- The Titanic II undertaking will probably be put up for gentle in Europe before the destroy of the year, with a shipyard in Finland among the parties.
- The cruise liner will rate “in the narrate of half a billion to 600 million, nevertheless I’m obvious the shipyards will want to charge me a billion for it”.
- Passengers would journey environments impressed by the original 1912 idea, with Turkish baths, smoking rooms, and opulent eating halls, all in the familiar ritzy vogue impressed by the Palace of Versailles and luxurious turn-of-the-last-century resorts.
The undertaking has been in the works since 2013, nevertheless this time Palmer says he’s extreme about ending it. The billionaire blamed old delays on the coronavirus pandemic.
In Palmer’s inspect, Titanic II will probably be an antidote to the “war and hate … and effort in the Heart East, Ukraine and Taiwan”.
“Folks are focusing very negatively on what forces are controlling our world, while the Titanic reminds us of critical aspects such as, all folks aspire to admire and friendship,” he said. “The admire account of Rose and Jack and Titanic is one that touches the hearts of all individuals.”
Palmer was also asked about his habit of making very costly political donations and said he had no regrets, despite his pitiful outcomes at the ballot field last federal election.
“We spent about $100 million in that campaign, in total, and over five million Australians didn’t accept the [COVID-19] vaccination — I mediate most Australians would say that was money neatly spent. You don’t stand for politics to win seats, you stand to inform the community,” Palmer replied.
(Department of Health and Aged Care data from this month presentations 22.2 million folks in Australia aged over five have had a COVID-19 vaccine shot. There are a total of about 26.6 million folks in Australia).
Palmer said he had no latest plans to utilize money in the subsequent election, or to ogle to make utilize of his money to e book both of the major parties: “I’ve been targeted on the Titanic,” he said.
Another pet undertaking the wealthy lister hopes to pursue is starting his contain social media network, named “Ausface”.
Last month, Palmer’s company Mineralogy faced off with lawyers for Facebook proprietor Meta, who sought to oppose Palmer’s registration of the Ausface trademark in a case introduced before the Australian Trade Marks Administrative center. The determination-maker in the case, a delegate for the place of industrial’s registrar, sided with Palmer, court information reviewed by Crikey display.
“We’re pondering of doing fancy an Australian Facebook, for Australia,” Palmer said.
When Crikey caught up with Palmer after the clicking convention, as he was strolling down the Opera Dwelling’s northern boardwalk to shoot pickup photographs for the nightly news, he expanded on the Ausface idea.
“It’s similar to what you’ve obtained on Facebook, nevertheless about Australian issues, for Australians. It won’t be censored, whether it’s left or accurate or whatever — all individuals can put what they want on there,” Palmer advised Crikey.
Crikey: Create you mediate there will probably be largely older folks on there, or will childhood be too?
Palmer: Neatly there are childhood in Australia, you’ve obtained to bear in mind that.
Crikey: They’re a hard group to stamp with social media networks though.
Palmer: Neatly, on my Facebook I have 200,000 followers, and most of them are below 30. They fancy my post when I said I fancy a hamburger, I fancy a lettuce, I really fancy vinegar chips — they can relate to that. I peaceful accomplish admire vinegar chips.
