Clive Palmer says nearly 70 former QLD Nickel workers have already applied to receive their unpaid entitlements, but he shouldn’t have been responsible for them.

The controversial businessman had promised to pay back millions of dollars owed to those who lost their jobs after Queensland Nickel collapsed in 2016.

Mr Palmer says those who didn’t receive their full entitlements under the federal government’s repayment scheme can now apply for them, which 69 people have already done.

“We set up a trust account with a solicitor, I’ve paid that money into the trust account for those workers, and it’s up to them to now claim it.”

But he tells Alan Jones he shouldn’t have been responsible for the repayments in the first place.

“I’m not a director of the company, I was just a shareholder. So there is no personal liability for me.

“Nevertheless we’ve come forward and paid that $700 million to people in Townsville because we think that Townsville’s had a rough trot.”

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