Media Release

KAP leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter responded to the Labor Party’s promise to dissolve the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) if it assumes Government by slamming the Liberal National Party for failing to deliver infrastructure to the north labelling them ‘useless’ for sitting on their hands for six years shelling out a miniscule $15.8 million from the $5 billion kitty.

“The National Party should be ashamed of themselves”, he said. “They had it (the NAIF) for six years and it gave nothing to the people of Australia – the people of North Qld.

“The shut down of the NAIF is tragically no loss and the National Party have done this country a huge disservice. They sat on $5 billion for six years and there was not a single significant project undertaken in the north – only $15.8 million which I’m told was to extend a building at JCU, hardly what you’d call a ‘nation-building’ project.”

Mr Katter said the ALP’s promise to divert the money into a new fund focused on nation-building infrastructure and tourism projects could only do better than the NAIF, given what an epic failure it had been.

“I have continuously raised the subject of the NAIF’s impotence in Parliament. I used statements, questions, speeches in the Chamber and Federation Chamber, I brought it up at press conferences, almost every time we spoke about developing the north – and yet nothing came out of that mob. Zilch.

“We had shovel ready projects, silver platter and all, hand delivered and ready to reverse their notorious reputation for being inept, and still got nothing.

“We can only pray that whatever comes out of the other blokes does better than the last lot. But I ain’t holdin’ my breath,” Mr Katter said.

—ENDS—.