Employment Minister Michaelia Cash. Picture: Sean Middleton

Senator Cash said workers were owed $73 million by the company and she would think carefully before deciding whether taxpayer’s money would be spend cleaning up after Clive Palmer.

“It is Clive Palmer’s ultimate responsibility,” she told Sky.

“Clive should not be let off the hook because the government steps in because he has vacated the space. And we should never forget that.

“Clive is responsible for what’s gone on here and she should ultimately be held accountable for this.”

Mr Palmer has repeatedly claimed he stopped being a director of Queensland Nickel when he entered politics, but questions have since been raised over whether he still had control over the company’s funds.

Senator Cash said she received a creditors’ report yesterday and would now decide whether to release Fair Entitlements Guarantee funds to pay workers’ entitlements.

She said she expected to make a decision “within 48 hours”.

“My Department is currently undertaking thorough consideration of that report,” she said.

“It will be providing a brief to me shortly, at which time I will determine whether or not I will exercise my discretion to release the funds early.”

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also confirmed the government was looking at what assistance it could provide, but insisted Mr Palmer should be the one making good the entitlements.

“That’s the very least he can do in these circumstances,” Mr Turnbull told told 6PR radio in Perth, noting that Mr Palmer had held himself up as a great business leader and philanthropist.

Mr Palmer today released a joint venture agreement in a bid to disprove suggestions he was a shadow director of Queensland Nickel.

Clive Palmer. Picture: Marc RobertsonSource:News Corp Australia

“This document will validate the structure of the Queensland Nickel Joint Venture Agreement but in short the report released yesterday is nothing more than a beat up,’’ he said in a statement.

“Queensland Nickel Pty Ltd (QN) was the General Manager and Manager of the Queensland Nickel Joint Venture.

“As a manager, until March 3, 2016, QN had contractually agreed under Clause 4.1 of the Joint Venture Agreement to follow the direction of the Joint Venture Owners Committee in carrying out the Joint Venture.

“The Joint Venture Owners Committee operates through its members to carry out the function of the Joint Venture Owners Committee in accordance with Clause 4.1 of the Queensland Nickel Joint Venture Agreement.”