Clive Palmer and his Party in Senate hot water.

Entrance to the Senate (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Clive Palmer has been heavily criticized for his attack on Senate clerk Rosemary Laing over her advice on the carbon tax repeal amendment bill.

Members of the Upper house defended the senate clerks position after Clive Palmer suggested she should get out of the job if she was not prepared to take instruction from him.

Rosemary Laing spoke to the party about this and said that a PUP amendment to the carbon tax repeal legislation was unconstitutional.   Clive Palmer disputed this enthusiastically and he also denies the accusations he yelled at the clerk.

Senator Nick Xenophon thinks Clive should apologise and described his actions as that of a bully.

Clive Palmer replied with a statement describing Laing's actions  as akin to Stalinist Russia and continued to justify his actions as standing up for the people.

English: Detail from Government. Mural by Elihu Vedder. Lobby to Main Reading Room, Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C. Main figure is seated atop a pedestal saying "GOVERNMENT" and holding a tablet saying "A GOVERNMENT / OF THE PEOPLE / BY THE PEOPLE / FOR THE PEOPLE". Artist's signature is "ELIHU VEDDER / ROMA–1896". (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"She can't interfere and stop them from doing it - that's what it boils down to. Otherwise you get a bureaucrat being able to veto legislation and we don't want that. That's what happens in Stalinist Russia," Mr Palmer said.

"We don't seek her advice, we seek to put things to the Senate and she's inconsequential to us as to what she thinks.  It's what the Australian people think and what they've elected us to do. 

"Our party will always want to put things that we decide, not what the clerks decide".

"She's not a member of our party, she hasn't been elected to Parliament, she's employed by the Parliament to draft legislation in accordance with instructions and she can't really refuse those instructions."

"If that's her job, well, she has to get out of that job". Read More

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