Billionaire, WA Premier set for defamation trial

The Queensland billionaire and Western Australia Premier are suing each other in the Federal Court over allegedly defamatory remarks each made in the media during their bitter and ongoing feud.

Both men have publicly traded barbs in recent months over the state’s border closure and controversial legislation introduced by WA parliament, which shut down Mr Palmer’s damages claim over a stalled iron ore project.

Matthew Richardson, Mr Palmer’s lawyer, told the court on Tuesday any attempts at mediation would not “be a useful…