Day one of his new career as a politician — one of the most powerful in the country, given his party’s role in the Senate — and Clive Palmer fronted the National Press Club. His thoughts, as usual, were illuminating …

Clive on journalism:

“We need to separate the role of journalism from the internet, we have to meet the challenge of the new age and a new challenge for journalism in this country. To ensure mainstream journalism is different from information from the internet and all the other things.”

Clive on the economy:

“Labor wants to spend, Liberals want to cut, but Palmer United wants to expand and grow our economy just like other countries have around the world, President Obama in the United States and what’s happened to the Japanese economy.”

Clive on wealth creation:

“Instead of companies paying tax quarterly, in advance, based on their estimate of what they may or may not earn, we need to let them pay it yearly based on what they actually do earn. If we keep $70 billion that the government’s now getting in advance in the hands of enterprises, because they know better how to spend it than the government does, it will create a lot of domestic demand, it will create a lot of jobs and will save a lot of government revenue.”

Clive on holding a balance of power:

“You know, I don’t really matter in politics as a person. What really matters is what we stand for and the ideas and what we can do for the country. So, we’ve got to lift our game in the media and elsewhere in the debate of this nation and focus on what we want to deliver.”

Clive on his business interests:

“Companies I own are not me. I’m a different person. I can think, I’m flesh and blood. Companies are not flesh and blood.”

Well, indeed.

This is going to be fun.

And a little terrifying.