Media Release

5 February 2018: Federal Member for Kennedy Hon Bob Katter MP together with KAP State Leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter, Qld Member for Hinchinbrook Nick Dametto, and Qld Member for Hill Shane Knuth responded with exasperation to Qld Government health warnings displayed in local doctor surgeries stating the serious risks bats pose to people.

Bob Katter was left in a state of disbelief upon seeing one of the Qld Health flyers and warned that this showed just how backwards the Qld Government were by in one breath warning of the serious consequences of residing near bats and their habitats and fly over zones - yet in the other, still putting bats before people.

“We’ve noticed that a number of local doctor surgeries know the dangers - are not employed by the State Government - and are already doing what they can. There are too many people scared of the politically correct Stormtroopers. As Nth Queenslanders, we’ve got to stand up - the bats must be removed from populated areas immediately,” Mr Katter said.

“Older residents of our towns invariably say they have never seen flying fox numbers like now. Our First Australians had the boomerang, a killing instrument uniquely designed to deal with bats.”

Bob Katter named five fatal viruses that bats and flying foxes carry.

“(1) Lyssavirus, you get it, you die, (2) Leptospirosis, most experienced FNQ doctors would put the fatality figure of this often wrongly diagnosed virus at three or more a year, (3) Hendra Virus, 50 per cent fatality rate, (4) Salmonella; serious but rarely fatal, and (5) SARS, Avian Flu & Nipah Virus have literally killed 1000s of people in countries to our North, both are carried by Flying Foxes.
“These are just some of the many diseases carried by them. In research study on 119 dead flying foxes, 16 proved to be positive - they had, or were, carrying the Leptospirosis in their bodies. Whilst this was not a random sample, it was only taken from bats that had died, interestingly the research was done to protect bats and not humans,” Bob Katter said.
State Member for Hinchinbrook Nick Dametto said the ignorance on bats had gone on long enough and that the Government seems unable to grasp how desperate the situation has become.
“The Government is not taking the risks seriously. It is appalling. This is one example out of many – in Ingham a bat roost is positioned less than 500 metres from our primary schools and local swimming pool which put our children at high risk to contracting diseases from these animals,” Mr Dametto said.
“All it takes is for someone to accidentally touch, and then ingest faeces that have fallen from the sky where children play and walk to school, or for an unsuspecting child to pick up a sick and injured bat and be scratched and infected with a virus – which could have fatal consequences.
“These are major concerns but still it does not seem to affect or sway the stance Government has on moving these animals from our towns,” Mr Dametto said.
KAP State Leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter’s electorate includes Charters Towers, where recently over 200,000 bats were flying overhead and closed the local child care centre and town swimming pool, “At Charters Towers there was a population of bats approaching a quarter of a million,’’ Robbie Katter said.
“That’s around 25,000 bats to each person living in Charters Towers. The impact these animals have on the community is now well documented. Amenities such as swimming pools and public parks have all been forced to close at some stage due to health concerns. We have also seen the local kindergarten forced to close early last year.

“I just hope it doesn’t take the death or a serious illness of a local before we see some serious steps taken to rid the town of this menace,’’ Robbie Katter said.

Member for Hill Shane Knuth concurred that he didn’t want to see more warnings, it’s time for action, “The reality is we don’t want to hear about warnings, we want to see action for bats to be moved out of the residential areas completely. Bats and people don’t mix.
“People get tired of having to put up with the serious health risks, the filth, the stench and the parasites - and yet we only see Government continue to back the bats over the people,” Mr Knuth said.
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