Clive Palmer – is his time as an MP running out? Credit:ABC When it comes to controversy, he has proven happy to be the source of an endless supply. Master of the stunt and king of the quirk, the member for Fairfax managed well to keep his profile high and to never be too far from the news. But as his first term in Parliament rushes to an end, Palmer is attracting attention for all the wrong reasons and seems set to exit politics under the darkest of clouds. So far, he says he will recontest the seat of Fairfax. There was some speculation, diminishing now that voting rules have changed, that he might try and shift to the Senate.

Palmer ''twerks'' during a radio interview with 2DayFM's Kyle and Jackie O while campaigning in Sydney in 2013. Credit:Kate Geraghty Should he do either, his chances look slim. In electoral terms, Clive Palmer is on the nose. And any scrutiny of his track record in Parliament or in his electorate will reveal plenty of headline-grabbing huff and puff, but very little by way of accomplishment. The Palmer United Party leader had a habit of showing up at events in classic or expensive cars. Credit:Glenn Hunt Everyone had a good laugh, and a good cringe, when during the 2013 federal election campaign the candidate enthusiastically twerked for the cameras inside a radio station.

This was clear evidence of a prime minister in the making. He said so himself. It didn't take too long for Palmer's party to be anything but united. Credit:Jacky Ghossein His endless legacy will be that he disappeared from Australian politics the same way as his company did and taking a lot of people's hopes and dream with him. ANU lecturer Andrew Hughes He seemed exactly the kind of larrikin overachiever Australia needed, and the sort that Queenslanders are wont to elect. Palmer won Fairfax by a mere 53 votes, but he also brought to Parliament three senators from across the nation, elected under the Palmer United Party banner.

After starting with great fanfare, the Titanic II project hit rough water. Results of the 2013 election (and a subsequent special Senate election in WA the following April) promised a rising minor party with clout, money and public appeal. But Palmer's legacy will at best be one of a hapless clown, or worse a more sinister manipulator who ignored completely the blurry line between politics and business and insisted in all cases on a "my way or the highway" approach. The Titanic II project was launched in New York and London. Credit:Twitter It will definitely be one of a take-no-prisoners self-promoter who was never at ease with the restrictions of national politics.

Indeed, he flouted the rules and conventions on a regular basis. The official status of the Titanic II has become increasingly unclear. Forget the Comcar; arrive at Parliament House in a chauffer-driven silver Rolls Royce blasting Van Morrison from the stereo. Rock up on other occasions in a ​gull-wing Mercedes, or a classic Bentley. Palmer's over-the-top dinosaur park no longer operates. Credit:Michelle Smith

Count your cash while sitting in the House of Representatives chamber. Fall asleep during question times. Don't hold a press conference in a courtyard like most other MPs. Instead, hire Parliament's Great Hall at a cost of thousands and then introduce former United States vice-president Al Gore to jointly declare a bizarre position on emissions trading – but refuse to take any questions. Refuse to even let a reporter get his question out during a subsequent televised appearance at the National Press Club. The list of unusual tactics goes on and could all add to the appeal of Palmer the politician.

But when you include on that list the fact he holds the record for evading parliamentary sessions – he has attended fewer than any other MP and has skipped almost 100 days since being elected – a picture emerges of a politician who doesn't really want the gig. And in his electorate, locals say they never see him. The Palmer-owned Coolum Resort stands abandoned – even the divisive over-the-top dinosaur park he installed there is gone – losing jobs and hurting local businesses. Australian National University politics lecturer Andrew Hughes, who specialises in political branding, describes Palmer in terms of the "Seinfeld Principle" after the hugely popular 90s sitcom. "You know, the show about nothing that stood for everything," Hughes said. "Clive did well at tapping into that. Sometimes you can get away with a lot because you create a perception of doing a lot.

"We've seen a lot of stunts from him, but there's no substance behind them. "His endless legacy will be that he disappeared from Australian politics the same way as his company did and taking a lot of people's hopes and dream with him. "Does he really have a brand left? He is now very much like Queensland Nickel – glaring, bright and shiny but now in liquidation." On Friday, the federal government stepped in with a promise to bring forward $70 million in entitlement payments to workers at Queensland Nickel. These are the almost 800 workers left without jobs after Palmer's failed refinery near Townsville went bankrupt.

Administrators found he acted recklessly as a director and have referred the matter to corporate watchdog ASIC. If convicted of an offence that carries a penalty of one year's jail or more, Palmer would be ineligible to serve in Parliament. Such an outcome would not eventuate before an election this year, so would only potentially affect Palmer's political career if he stood for re-election, which he is not likely to win anyway. But he denies any wrongdoing, insisting it was the administrator, not him, who made most workers redundant and that he had relinquished directorship of the company once he entered Parliament anyway. Evidence aired on Four Corners this week suggests otherwise, but Palmer strongly denies it.

Amid claims he funnelled funds from Queensland Nickel to help prop up his party and for other projects, including his ambitious and troubled Titanic II project, Palmer places blame for his current woes on the media and on the company's administrator. And he insists he was not working behind the scenes as a defacto director of Queensland Nickel. "I want to be clear that at no time did I act as a shadow director," he said. He released the 1994 joint-venture agreement between Queensland Nickel's parent company QNI Metals and QNI Resources, in a bid to show he was within his rights to transfer money between other companies. And he declared his eagerness to have his day in court "to sort this out". Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has stepped in to help the abandoned workers.

"The release earlier this week of the administrator's report to creditors makes it clear there is no rescue option on the table for Queensland Nickel Refinery," she said. "Based on this report, I have now exercised my discretion to enable Queensland Nickel workers to access their unpaid entitlements through the Fair Entitlements Guarantee. "It is extremely disappointing that the Queensland Nickel joint-venture partners have not taken care of this business responsibility to look after their workers." In a further comment aimed directly at Palmer, the minister signalled the government was coming after him, by seeking the appointment of a special purpose liquidator, to help recoup the money on behalf of taxpayers. "We are doing this because of the unique and alarming circumstances in this case, where a current member of parliament and self-reported wealthy Australian businessman is directly involved," she said.

One government source told Fairfax Media: "We won't let this guy drive off into the sunset in a Bentley and leave taxpayers on the hook." None of this bodes well for Palmer and the likelihood of him remaining an MP much longer. If the law doesn't get him, the electorate will. His party already has. First it was state and territory MPs in Queensland and the Northern Territory who quit PUP, exiting while using terms such as "cronyism" and "absolute chaos". Then on the federal level, Palmer's two highest profile senators left his party to sit as independents. Tasmania's Jacqui Lambie resigned first, in November 2014, after a string of widely publicised disagreements with Palmer.

Queensland senator Glenn Lazarus stood down as PUP's leader in the Senate and quit the party all together in March last year, accusing Palmer of bullying and disregarding any notion of teamwork. Both Lambie and Lazarus still enjoy healthy levels of public support, while Palmer's star has all but fizzled out. Support collapsed for PUP at two federal byelections last year, returning abysmal results for the party's candidates. Palmer himself attracts appalling polling results in his own electorate, with as little as 2 per cent of voters saying they would give him their first preference and a plummeting 7 per cent saying they are satisfied with his performance. When the final story of Clive Frederick Palmer is written, it is likely he will be remembered more for the time he wore a bunny-eared onesie for a YouTube stunt than for any political, business or humanitarian accomplishments.

A true national living treasure.