CLIVE Palmer’s bid to launch a Senate inquiry into Campbell Newman’s Liberal National Party government was last night scuttled after Labor refused to let it examine the previous Bligh government.

The proposed inquiry — a pet project of Mr Palmer, a former LNP benefactor and life member — would have seen a committee of five senators, chaired by senator Glenn Lazarus, hold hearings in at least 11 Queensland towns and cities, inquiring into public governance in the state.

Opposition senators initially indicated support for the proposal, but withdrew their backing after the Greens sided with the Coalition to expand the inquiry’s scope to include the final years of Anna Bligh’s Labor government.

That government was racked by scandal in its final three years, with public servant Joel Barlow convicted of embezzling $16.7million and the rollout of a Health Department payroll system that botched the wages of thousands and could cost $1.2 billion to repair.

The rejection of the inquiry by the Senate was last night hailed as a major defeat for Mr Palmer, who had expected the inquiry to heap “dirt” on the first-term government ahead of the state election due in March, which his party will contest.

Government senators warned a sweeping federal inquiry into state affairs could set a precedent for state parliaments to scrutinise federal politicians, possibly resulting in MPs being detained and hauled before state legislators. They also accused Mr Palmer of launching the inquiry to further his business interests.

Labor initially supported the move, saying any party should be able to launch inquiries into their areas of interest. ALP senator Claire Moore noted the Senate had previously held Coalition-initiated inquiries into issues such as council amalgamations by Beattie Labor and the proposed Traveston Dam.

Nationals whip Barry O’Sullivan credited government Senate leader Eric Abetz, manager of government business Mitch Fifield and his Queensland colleagues for preventing the “Palmerisation” of the Senate.

“Labor was outclassed and outwitted and, for the Palmer United Party, it showed they did not understand the very procedures of the Senate that they were seeking to uphold,” he told The Australian.

Senator Lazarus, the PUP leader in the Senate, complained that Queensland’s unicameral parliament had failed to provide “open, representative and transparent governance”, citing “serious issues” with public appointments, project approvals and environmental degradation.

“The commonwealth allocates funds to the state of Queensland and Australian taxpayers need and deserve clarification in relation to the appropriate use of these funds by the Queensland government,” Senator Lazarus said.

A Newman government spokesman dismissed the inquiry bid as a stunt.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/pup-fails-in-bid-for-senate-inquiry-...