Sport now faces very tough call

NQ FOOTBALL is in an unenviable position.

Former politician and mining magnate Clive Palmer has offered the sporting group a $ 100,000 sponsorship deal.

But Mr Palmer’s renewed interest in North Queensland and his shuttered refinery at Yabulu have the city on edge.

Mr Palmer claims there is about $ 7 billion worth of cobalt in tailings at the refinery.

It’s only been two years since QNI collapsed with debts of about $ 300 million and hundreds of workers out of employment.

We’re still travelling on that long and arduous road to recovery.

So when Mr Palmer’s pamphlet arrived in letterboxes across the city claiming he was the only person prepared to inject tens of millions of dollars into the Townsville economy by reopening Yabulu, it’s understandable the community started to feel conflicted.

The understands Mr Palmer has been approaching members of the business community and trying to secure their support.

They, too, are caught between a rock and a hard place.

The bottom line is there’s barely a soul in North Queensland who would be against the refinery reopening, rehiring hundreds of staff and injecting millions into the local economy.

However, given Queensland Nickel is still in the hands of the liquidators and that both Mr Palmer and his nephew Clive Mensink are being pursued before the courts for alleged breaches of directors’ duties, a claim Mr Palmer denies, it is also understandable that the community is cynical of Mr Palmer’s ability to follow through with his plans.

Mr Palmer’s attempt to secure the hearts and minds of the community by offering sporting associations large sponsorship deals is likely to draw the ire of those who are still out of pocket following his business collapse. It’s almost cruel of him to leave NQ Football with such a difficult decision to make.