Author(s): Sean Parnell

Political

Big-spending Queensland billionaire Clive Palmer bought a football team, helped create a political party, and is set to recreate the 'Titanic' and build a dinosaur park. But are these just fanciful splurges or something more calculated? The reality is that Palmer uses his immense mining wealth (estimated at over $6 billion) in a proactive (if sometimes eccentric) global way. His personal story is just as colourful and intriguing: Clive spent time as a child in China and writes poetry. He is well-known for attention-grabbing statements that send the media into a spin. Shortly after Clive was named a National Living Treasure, he claimed that the CIA was secretly backing green groups in a bid to kill the Australian coal-mining industry. In true Clive fashion, in May 2012 he announced that he was building a luxury cruise liner - the 'Titanic II' - and his political feuds are legendary. Part business expose, part political insider profile, and all rollicking tale, this is a dramatic portrayal of the man himself and the unconventional life he leads.