Jacqui Lambie dines with Clive Palmer
Jacqui Lambie quit the PUP party after it's leader, Clive Palmer, accused her of being a “liar”, but last night Lambie chose to dine with the man she called the "devil" of politics.
Now functioning as an independent, Senator Lambie admitted she met Clive Palmer at Hotel Hotel in Canberra, ahead of the last parliamentary sitting week of 2014.
“I did have a meeting with the devil himself, yes” she said. “I went and met with him and made sure that I could get his support on what’s going on with the defence personnel and obviously just to see where their stance still was on the education [reforms].”
Speaking of the relief of having finally spoken to Mr Palmer, Lambie said that the two managed to keep their personal and political lives apart.
“He knows I need to get on with the job, he needs to get on with the job" she explained. “It’s nice to know he still has his door open if I need to speak to him and I’m very grateful for that.”
Lambie said she was willing to meet with any “devil” in politics but that she wouldn't sell her soul to it, saying that one of the reasons she left the PUP was that Mr Palmer’s “tactics” in fighting against the ADF pay deal differ from hers.
The federal government is abandoning plans to cut allowances for Defence personnel, which Senator Lambie has vowed to fight against until a pay offer is tabled.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the government isn't in a position to boost a below-inflation pay offer of 1.5 per cent a year for the next three years.
"All of us would like to see our defence forces paid more but what's possible with a $20 billion surplus is not always possible with a $40 billion deficit," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"I think we just have to be realistic about defence force pay."
The government has notified the independent Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal the changes to allowances are not supported by the government and asked that they be discontinued.
Restoring the allowances will mean discretionary leave, food and motor vehicle allowances will remain.
Mr Abbott says the decision will cost the Defence budget $17 billion.
"There won't be extra money put in so the CDF (chief of the defence force) will have to find the money," he said.
Morning news break – December 1
