Clive Palmer claims council workers have illegally culled his deer. Photo / AP
Clive Palmer has threatened a return to politics in a bizarre series of social media posts alleging council workers illegally killed his deer and sold the meat to local restaurants.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the former Palmer United Party leader said council workers "armed with high-powered rifles" entered his Robina property and "fired shots killing my livestock and endangering human life".
- Originally published by News.com.au
"Consultants and my employees observed them," he wrote. "They removed the carcasses of at least 10 red deer from inside my property boundary and investigations have revealed they sold the meat from those animals to Gold Coast restaurants at up to $40 per kilogram.
"The potentially murderous actions of those officers needs to be investigated and stopped. Tom Tate, the Mayor of the Gold Coast needs to take immediate executive action. Small children under 10 years of age reside on my property and could have been killed by this raid.
"Regardless of people's political views, the use of weapons and discharging of firearms inside a person's property is a criminal offence. I intend proceeding actions through the courts against the Gold Coast Council and their rogue killers and any cover up.
"I also intend to report this matter to police who have the duty to protect the residents of Queensland.
Guns, Trespassing, Killing animals & endangering life. Rogue officers kill my livestockhttps://t.co/lmTDqEYCQL @MayorTomTate @GCBulletin
— Clive Palmer (@CliveFPalmer) January 14, 2017
"If guns are used to intimidate my staff and no action is taken to stop this, I will return to the political arena to change the Gold Coast Council for the benefit of all Gold Coast residents. Small children and families should be able to play in their backyard without fear the government will fire guns in or on their property."
Gold Coast Council spokesman Warwick Sinclair said the council "strongly refutes" the allegations, but said the council had on occasion been forced to euthanise deer that had escaped Mr Palmer's property and "gone ballistic in the streets".
"Animal Management officers have not been to the property recently, officers would not enter a property without a warrant, and we have no record of the allegations he is making," he said in a statement.
"Council has also checked that it has not issued a contract for such services. [There] has been an ongoing problem with deer at this property. We have had calls from QPS in the past as deer have escaped and caused danger on the roads.
"A number of notices have been issued to Mr Palmer in the past for failing to maintain the property and allowing deer to escape."
Mr Sinclair said council was attempting to contact Mr Palmer.
"Once they get out they're obviously quite a danger to the community - people walking or cars. [But] it's fairly rare. We work with the state government Department of Primary Industries and the police. We don't just turn up and start shooting them," he told news.com.au.
The potentially murderous actions of the officers needs to be investigated & stopped. @MayorTomTate needs to take immediate executive action
— Clive Palmer (@CliveFPalmer) January 14, 2017
Photo credit: Twitter / @CliveFPalmer
"We say to all property owners, whatever livestock, even a cow, you've got to keep it contained on your property. We don't as a rule enter a property and shoot 10 deer."
Queensland Police have been contacted for comment.
Mr Palmer won the Queensland seat of Fairfax in 2013. In May last year, he announced he would not contest the 2016 federal election.
It came amid court action over the collapse of Queensland Nickel, which was placed into voluntary administration in January 2016 with 237 jobs slashed at its Yabulu refinery near Townsville.
He was ordered to face court and will have his assets pursued by special purpose liquidators. In September, the Palmer United Party was deregistered in Queensland.