Clive Palmer has been praised as “rather humble, essentially good-hearted” and “well-meaning”. Well, his poetry has at least.



Palmer’s book of poetry, Dreams, Hopes and Reflections, was published in 1981 under the name F Clive Palmer when the mining magnate, and possible billionaire, was 26. It is not known how many copies survive, but when one happened to cross Guardian Australia’s desk it was immediately handed over to the experts.

The Guardian’s copy is incomplete (alas), with about half of the poems missing, but enough remains to sate the appetite of those curious about the long-ago creative musings of today’s politician/mining baron/dinosaur aficionado.

Despite being in his mid-20s the poet Palmer seems acutely aware of the indignity of the ageing process, writing in Old Women Young Girls:

I’m old now Once I was beautiful Once I was sought after Once I had diamonds Once I had gold Once I had love But now I am old

He seems lovesick, or at least love fluey, at the time of writing – which, according to the author, was mostly a single December day. Most of the poems are dedicated to the pain and joy of love (To know love / is to know you/ and to know you/is to love you) but he also takes time to reflect on the wider world around him. In The Dove he writes:

Gandhi I know you Though I was not born Gandhi I love you Though your life was torn

To the untrained eye they lack a certain finesse, but for a more expert view we turned to Martin Duwell, a publisher and critic of poetry since 1967.

“The vanity publications of the wealthy are often done in good type on expensive paper and are carefully proofed by a secretary. This book, full of typos and awkwardnesses, is not like this at all and its main virtue is probably that it is a rather humble, essentially good-hearted and well-meaning production,” he said.

Duwell put the poems in the category of someone who has a passionate belief in what they say and said it was important to note Palmer did not claim he could outdo the greats of Australian verse, or even call the works poetry in his introduction.

Duwell picked a stanza from Leaving Home as best summing up the voice behind the poems:

A better world to live in a better way of life A better understanding free from strife

“As a contribution to poetry they don’t really have much to recommend them,” Duwell said. “The author doesn’t show any signs of having had an engagement with a real poem and they probably get their form from the lyrics of popular songs rather than poetry.”

An award-winning poet and lecturer at Griffith university, Anthony Lawrence, agreed the work appeared to be that of someone who had not read widely, but said it was worth celebrating nonetheless.

“It’s full of sentimentality and cliches … These are love poems and written by a very young man with perhaps not much life experience,” he said.

“I really celebrate the fact he’s done it, I love the fact he’s taken the time and care to explore his emotions and his affections for someone in verse and I think that’s a big deal. Most people stop writing poetry in high school and move on and he clearly had something to say and felt poetry was the best vehicle for that.”

Lawrence said the poems could have been improved by striving for original imagery.

In To Yesterday Palmer wrote:

You always wanted what I could not give I gave you my heart But you wanted my soul to live with you

Lawrence said if he ever met Palmer he would be keen to know if he was still writing poetry and would give him a few pointers.

“Love poetry is one of the hardest genres to write because we tend to trip up by being emotional about it and trip up by using words like heart and soul and things like that and as soon as you fall into that trap it becomes one-dimensional,” he said.

Lawrence’s final suggestion was that the parliamentarian change his number plate from Nickel – the name of his primary company – to Sonnet.