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NT trio ‘induced’: Newman

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has accused federal MP Clive Palmer of inducing three Northern Territory MPs to join his political party.

Mr Newman says questions need to be asked about what cash, jobs and financial support Mr Palmer offered the MPs to jump ship.

“This is a man who tried to buy a government, my government,” Mr Newman told reporters.

“We said `go away’, we said `we’re not for sale’.”

“I ask what inducements were offered to these three MPs? What promises, what inducements were offered to them to jump ship?”

Mr Palmer on Sunday declared that Alison Anderson would be chief minister after the next territory election, after announcing that she, Larissa Lee and Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu had joined his Palmer United Party (PUP).

The three indigenous MPs quit the ruling Country Liberal Party at the beginning of April as a result of a rift between Ms Anderson and Chief Minister Adam Giles, saying they wanted to create their own regional political party.

Mr Newman’s extraordinary spray came after a journalist asked Prime Minister Tony Abbott about the mining magnate calling Mr Giles a liar on national television.

That’s what Mr Palmer said about everybody, Mr Newman said.

“As far as Mr Palmer goes everyone else is wrong and he’s always right,” he told reporters.

Mr Newman said it was time for Mr Palmer to stop spending money on election campaigning, adding that the PUP leader didn’t “seem to have the money” to fulfil environment obligations at his Townsville nickel refinery and repair his Sunshine Coast resort.

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