瑞士联邦最高法院周三维持国际仲裁庭的裁定，驳回了澳大利亚矿业大亨克莱夫·帕尔默通过新加坡公司Zeph Investments要求澳大利亚赔偿296亿澳元的诉讼请求[1]。法院确认帕尔默不属于自由贸易协定框架下的"外国投资者"，因此无权获得ASEAN-澳大利亚-新西兰自由贸易协定的保护[1]。
帕尔默因西澳州2020年在紧急立法下叫停其Pilbara地区铁矿项目而对澳大利亚政府提起诉讼[1]。根据判决，帕尔默需支付英联邦1300万澳元的诉讼费用[1]。澳大利亚政府在此案辩护中花费超过三年时间和1300万澳元[1]。此外，帕尔默还对昆士兰州的一个项目提起类似诉讼，要求赔偿400亿澳元[1]。
Australian mining magnate Clive Palmer's attempt to sue the government for compensation has been definitively rejected after Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court upheld an international arbitration tribunal's decision this week [1]. The court ruled that Palmer does not qualify as a "foreign investor" and therefore has no entitlement to protections under Australia's trade and investment agreements [1]. Palmer must now pay the Australian government AUD 13 million in legal costs, bringing an end to the protracted dispute [1].
Palmer had pursued the claim through Singapore-based company Zeph Investments, seeking AUD 29.6 billion in damages [1]. He alleged that the Australian government breached the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement when Western Australia implemented emergency legislation in 2020 to halt an iron ore project in the Pilbara region [1]. The Commonwealth spent more than three years and AUD 13 million defending the case [1]. Beyond this dispute, Palmer has also initiated similar litigation against Queensland over a separate project, demanding AUD 40 billion in compensation [1].