Meanwhile, Labor’s not the only one licking its campaign wounds.

Mining billionaire Clive Palmer failed to secure a single seat in parliament, despite a $54 million advertising storm and vocal support from shock jock Alan Jones:

GRAHAM RICHARDSON: You’re getting into bed with Clive Palmer. God help us, god, can’t stand the Greens but they’re better than Clive Palmer.

ALAN JONES: Clive Palmer, he’s going to be the man of the hour. His preferences are all going to go to the Coalition …

GRAHAM RICHARDSON: I know.

ALAN JONES: … which is absolutely fantastic.

- Jones & Co, Sky News, 15 May, 2019

Fantastic, indeed, with Palmer’s anti-Labor ad blitz helping Jones’ team over the line in a number of seats.

But, Jones was asked, what about Clive’s treatment of his nickel refinery workers in Townsville?

GRAHAM RICHARDSON: What was he about when he sacked those workers and wouldn’t pay them a penny? What was he about then?

ALAN JONES: No, no, no, just a moment. He was a shareholder in the Queensland Nickel, he wasn’t the owner …

GRAHAM RICHARDSON: Oh come on, you’re not going to swallow that?

- Jones & Co, Sky News, 15 May, 2019

But Jones did indeed swallow that, parroting the line from Clive himself after Palmer told Jones on his breakfast radio show:

CLIVE PALMER: … to make it easy for your listeners. I was a shareholder of a holding company which held shares in Queensland Nickel …

I’m not a director of the company. I was just a shareholder.

- The Alan Jones Breakfast Show, 2GB, 1 May, 2019

Liquidators of his failed company may have another view.

But Jones was happy to buy Clive’s argument. And, after the Coalition announced its preference deal with Palmer’s United Australia Party, happy to have the billionaire on his program. Twice.

Where, of course, Palmer got busy beating up on Labor:

CLIVE PALMER: Why does Bill Shorten want to destroy these people’s lives? Why is he such a bastard to these people?

- The Alan Jones Breakfast Show, 2GB, 9 May, 2019

And Alan was quick to back him up:

ALAN JONES: Good on you. Look, we’ve run out of time but I think listeners would understand one thing — this bloke knows what he’s talking about. Good to talk to you, Clive Palmer.

- The Alan Jones Breakfast Show, 2GB, 9 May, 2019

But strangely enough, Alan had a very different view on Clive Palmer just three years ago when Queensland Nickel collapsed.

Here are some choice cuts from 2GB and 4BC in April 2016:

ALAN JONES: That Clive Palmer, what a disgrace.

- The Alan Jones Breakfast Show, 2GB, 12 April, 2016

ALAN JONES: It’s a wonderful, wonderful community but you’ve just been stabbed in the back by Clive Palmer.

- The Alan Jones Breakfast Show, 2GB, 12 April, 2016

ALAN JONES: … the administrators have now completed their report.

… it found Clive Palmer secretly acted as a shadow director of the company, making him personally liable for Queensland Nickel’s collapse.

… Clive Palmer used Queensland Nickel as a piggy bank to prop up his other businesses. It found on one day alone, November 29, 2012, Palmer took from the company $21.5 million for his political party, $6 million for his ill-fated bid to build a replica of the Titanic, $5 million to buy 60 vintage cars and $38 million for himself, his wife and his father-in-law.

- The Alan Jones Breakfast Show, 2GB, 13 April, 2016

Not quite so fantastic.

In fact, Jones was so outraged, he flew to Townsville to support the dudded workers and chair a meeting against their former boss:

ALAN JONES: … Clive Palmer promised the earth and now he’s run this business into the ground.

…and he’s cleverly shifted Mineralogy, his own personal company, which may well be worth a lot of dough, he’s shifted that right out of this business.

- Press conference, 11 April, 2016

So why the sudden change of heart? Surely Jones’ support can’t simply be bought by doing a preference deal with his favourite party?

We asked the veteran broadcaster. He told us:

I offer the usual response to Media Watch. Mind your own business.

- Email, 27 May, 2019

But he did tell us he had put his old criticisms to Palmer in the campaign and was happy with the answers. And his interviewing of him had nothing to do with preferences.

And you can read his full statement on our website.

Read the full statement from Alan Jones here.