Clive Palmer pipped for a place at the PM’s dinner table

The political tom-tom drums were beating loudly over the weekend that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had walked into a political nightmare - being forced into having Clive Palmer over for dinner.

It all began when Albo and fiancee Jodie Haydon generously offered themselves up as a prize for a traditional online silent auction held in the lead-up to the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery Midwinter Ball.

“A rare opportunity to share a meal with the nation’s ‘first couple’ - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon - at The Lodge or Kirribilli House. Generous hospitality is guaranteed for up to four guests,” the rather breathless blurb for the auction stated.

Tactical bidding on the afternoon of the ball last Wednesday required Antony Green levels of psephological interpretation.

Bidding leapt late on Wednesday afternoon before the cut-off. The winning bid was from “Anonymous” for $25,432, which easily trumped the previous bid of $21,899.

Several sources told CBD that the late bidder was none other than the freedom-loving mining billionaire, backer of the United Australia Party and former federal MP for the Queensland seat of Fairfax.

“Not confirming, but Clive loves supporting charities,” Palmer’s representative on earth told CBD.

Not confirming - but not exactly denying. Event organiser Paul Donohoe from BDW Special Events would not shed any light on the matter, citing privacy agreements.

Nor was the prime minister’s office keen to comment.

When CBD finally reached Palmer who was boarding a flight, he confirmed that he attempted to secure a placemat at The Lodge only to be outbid at the last minute. We then lost reception.

Overall late bidding pushed the charity donations from just over $50,000 to more than $63,000.

The late spree left bids for dinner with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (plus two of his colleagues, in one of Canberra’s finest restaurants) in the dust at $12,000, while the Qantas tickets to London or Los Angeles went for $16,200 and two tickets to the 2024 AFL grand final a steal at $3725.

The Midwinter Ball, an annual event held in the Great Hall of Parliament House, raised $360,000 for charity in total.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.