Clive Palmer has welcomed Jacqui Lambie's resignation from the Palmer United Party describing it as a "good outcome" and one which "pre-empted" any move by the party to force her out.
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But in a sign that the bad blood between the pair is set to continue, the mining magnate accused the Tasmanian senator of being driven by lobbyists instead of acting in the interests of Tasmanians.
Mr Palmer also said he was not worried about the weakening of his party's voting bloc in the Senate.
Senator Lambie told the Senate on Monday she was quitting the party after a turbulent week and a half in which she and Mr Palmer have publicly traded blows.
Mr Palmer had accused Senator Lambie of being a plant sent to stir tensions and said the PUP had a team of people investigating her.
He told Fairfax Media on Monday that Senator Lambie had pre-empted any action being taken by the party by resigning.
"There were certain procedures under way which Jacqui was aware of," Mr Palmer said.
"Rather than have that continue, we think she's pre-empted the party."
Mr Palmer said Senator Lambie's departure was a "welcome thing for us" and the party could now focus on bringing "forward our own policies for Australia".
"I think you can understand that it's a good outcome for the party because her views are in conflict with what the people who elected her care about," he said.
"I don't think she'll achieve very much as a senator generally."
He attacked Senator Lambie's public persona as a champion for Tasmanians.
"She's not brought one proposal for veterans or Tasmania to the partyroom in the six months she's been here," Mr Palmer said.
He accused her of hypocrisy, saying she publicly speaks about promoting jobs for Tasmania, but alleged she had no Tasmanians on her staff.
"There's no jobs for Tasmanians on her staff," he claimed.
Mr Palmer said "I don't know, I'm not a lawyer", when asked if there were legal implications associated with Senator Lambie's resignation from the party.
He said the party was monitoring action being taken by the Democratic Labor Party, which announced it would take Senator John Madigan to the High Court for his seat after he resigned from the DLP.
"The DLP said they were taking action against Mr Madigan," he said.
"We're looking at that."
He said Senator Lambie owed him no money personally.
Mr Palmer then criticised her relationships with her chief of staff Rob Messenger and lawyer and poppy farmer Glynn Williams, who had been advising Senator Lambie in the days leading up to her resignation.
"Glynn Williams and Rob Messenger are lobbyists," Mr Palmer said.
"Obviously she likes a big package and plenty of money - that's totally consistent with having a lobbyist work for her," he added, in an apparent reference to a breakfast radio interview
Despite the reduction in his voting bloc, Mr Palmer claimed he was still central to voting outcomes in the Senate and still had an agreement for support from the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party.
"We're still within the balance of power," he said.
"We've got the biggest party within that group of eight."
