Media Release

KAP Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter has responded to yesterday’s anti-ethanol media campaign with a Question to the Minister for Energy in Question Time. Mr Katter said, “The media statements yesterday that Ethanol will raise the price of petrol are more than misleading.

“We have hardly two weeks of oil supplies in Australia . If half a dozen tankers are blown up, Australia walks or rides a horse. Ethanol gives us Fuel Security.

“To say that Ethanol which can be marketed at 95c a liter is costing consumers more is misleading.

“Every country on earth has Ethanol. China, the US, Japan, Europe, Canada, all of the South American countries... Only Africa and Australia do not have Ethanol.

“Why is every country on Ethanol?

Mr Katter’s Question Without Notice to the Minister went onto highlight why Australia does not have Ethanol.

“Frydenbergs known for integrity, honour and incorruptibility, assures us that you’ll not follow your predecessors path to perdition:

Former Minister John Anderson –rejects biofuels –

And now works for an oil and gas company

Former Minister Mark Vaile – works for an oil and gas company

Former Minister Mark Ferguson –works for TWO oil and gas companies

Former Minister Ian MacFarlane –heads the Qld Resources Council.

To quote the AMA/ Atmospheric Health/ Professor Kearney – “more people die from motor vehicle emissions than motor vehicle accidents”.

A healthy lung – the lung of a Sydneysider

Minister will you consider a healthsafe, cheap, guaranteed reliable, homegrown fuel supply – biofuels. Or are you just another oil puppet?”

Mr Katter has forcefully put the case for ethanol stating the multiple benefits:

“A) Motor vehicle emissions kill you. The deadly mix of super fine particles and carcinogens if you move from Armidale or a Tamworth or Sydney your chances of dying of heart lung disease almost double.

More people die from motor vehicle emissions than motor vehicle accidents. The President of the AMA and Premier Morris Iemma said the same thing when Ethanol was introduced into NSW.

B) It is cheaper than petrol 95c a litre vs 125c a litre.

C) It lowers dramatically CO2 emissions. Al Gore in his book ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ names Ethanol as his first solution.

If a small proportion of the existing sugar and grain crop were converted to Ethanol we could reduce net motor vehicle emissions of C02 by nearly 40 per cent.

The sugarcane and grain absorb the C02 back down from the atmosphere and turn it into oxygen.

D) It significantly increases food production. Grain with starch removed has a heightened nutritional value. The CO2 from sugar electricity generation feeds algae in ponds to become high protein stock feed.

E) $26 billion a year is sent to the Middle East to buy petrol. Ethanol will redirect that $26 billion into Australian pockets.

“The arguments that your car breaks down if you use E10 is stupidity. Do the cars all break down in LA do they? In Brazil (with 50 % Ethanol in the fuel) are all the cars breaking down? In Europe E20 is in cars… No breakdowns!

The oil companies better drum up a better story.

Four Federal Ministers responsible for motor fuels all refused Ethanol, and all have been reported in the media as now working for oil companies.”

##ENDS##