Media Release

18 February 2017: KAP Federal Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter has today expressed discontent at the appointment of former QLD ALP Premier Anna Bligh as the new head of the banking lobby group, the Australian Bankers Association.

“Reports saying it (the appointment of Bligh) was about tax cuts, is a better feint than a Jonathan Thurston dummy”, Mr Katter said.

“They say Bligh is there to address company tax cuts? Like damn hell she is.

“Bligh is there to stop the Royal Commission into the banks - to work on the ALP to stop the Royal Commission into the banks. Supporting a Royal Commission is about the only decent thing the ALP has done in 20 years.

“Bligh achieved almost the highest debt levels in QLD history. Expenditure for her Government was $52B. The much maligned QLD Sir Joh Bjelke Petersen Government, their last budget was $8B. Allowing for population and cost of living increases, that $8B would be $16B today.

“In other words Bligh more than tripled the spending levels of the QLD Sir Joh Bjelke Petersen Government.

“Bligh admitted she was so broke that she had to sell the railways and the electricity industry.

“Bligh and the LNP turned the electricity industry into a milking cow for the Government, who still own the shares and reportedly are taking $4B a year in profits through unconscionable electricity pricing charges.

“Young families and retirees have not got the money to put solar hot water systems and solar panels on their roofs, they just have to pay the money for this unconscionable electricity pricing.

“It is tragic that the Australian people that put up the Theodores and Chifleys; the McEwens and Anthonys could now have elected pigmies whose answer to their financial woes is not to build the great dams of North Queensland or railways into the Galilee Basins; but to increase charges upon less powerful people - retires and mothers with young kids. To enable them to cut the tax rates for corporations, almost the vast bulk of which are foreign owned.

“No wonder people spit on politicians”, Mr Katter concluded.

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