Media Release

KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter used Question Time today to call on the Federal Government to put an end to its free market policies which are flogging Australian industries as they compete against the global market and called for a Royal Commission to reveal the true extent of the government’s ‘corporate colonisation’ of Australia.

Mr Katter’s had a gutful of hearing the horror stories from across Australia of where privatisation and free markets have killed off businesses and have put entire towns in jeopardy, and has questioned if the major parties are either ‘on the take’ or ‘just plain stupid’.

Putting the question to the Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, Kelly O’Dwyer, Mr Katter listed those industries and jobs which have now been sent overseas:

motor vehicle industry.

clothing and footwear

petrol

white goods

half of the seafood, pork and vegetable industries.

And 25% of our electricity.

Coal miners, power workers jobs gone to Chinese solar factories.

Mr Katter then went onto list what has been ‘sold off’.

83% of our minerals

93% coal seam gas

Airports

Coal ports

Our five biggest farms and lands

Mr Katter said KAP stood for ‘building Australia, not selling it’.

“The five biggest farms in Australia are foreign owned; ‘Van Diemen’s dairies’ is owned by China, ‘Cubbie’ owned by China, the biggest grain farms ‘Nicoletti’ owned by China, biggest farming aggregation ‘Kidmans’ controlled by China, the biggest of all, ‘Ord stage 2 & 3’ owned by China, Australia’s most strategic port, Darwin owned by China, taxi hire industry UBER foreign owned, the car manufacturing, glass, textiles, petrol, whitegoods - all gone overseas,” Mr Katter said.

“What has free trade done for us? It gave away the entire coal seam gas reserves of this nation; $23 billion a year was given away. We gave it away for six cents a gigajoule and we bought it back for $16 a gigajoule. In fact, it is cheaper to buy Australian gas in Tokyo and bring it back to Australia than to actually buy it in Australia. That was a magnificent free-trade deal.

“When will we have a regime that won’t continue to sell off Australia?” Mr Katter said.

—ENDS—

Notes: Audio of the question and the Minister’s response is available upon request.