Media Release

23 April 2016: KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter welcomed the liquidation of Queensland Nickel, but warned the war is not yet won.

“The aim is to get Qld Nickel re-opened and operating. Today is helping us in the battle to win the war – which is to recreate those 2000 jobs, the 750 direct jobs.

Mr Katter, whose electorate of Kennedy’s southern coastal boarder is just north of the Queensland Nickel Yabula refinery, estimates that 200 of the workers probably reside in the electorate of Kennedy.

Mr Katter has paid tribute to Alan Jones and the workers who stood up and fought for fast-tracking the liquidation process at a workers public meeting on Monday 11 April. Following pressure from the meting the Minister announced an expedited process.

Liquidation now allows workers to access the Federal Government’s entitlements scheme. The entitlements are reported to be as much as $74m.

“The people that went to the workers meeting two weeks ago, to the great Alan Jones who travelled from Sydney to Chair the meeting and to the worker’s committee who organised the meeting – they are all great heroes.

“Again we thank the workers who stood up and fought. They were not going to roll over and cop it. They forced the Government’s hand and said ‘come back to the world of reality, this is a few weeks or months wages’. That is so easy for the Government to do.

“But have no illusions to reopen Queensland Nickel, it requires $100m guarantees from the State Government and a similar guarantee from the Federal Government. We will be working closely with the worker buy-out group,” Mr Katter said.

“Every single person in the greater Townsville region has a vested interest in Queensland Nickel reopening and Townsville once again being one of the global centres of mineral processing - refining copper, cobalt, nickel and zinc.

“There will not be a person in Townsville that will not feel some pain if this nickel plant stays closed. I represent around 200 of those workers, and as far as I’m concerned the battle is just starting.

“Stand on your hind legs and fight - you might be amazed what you can achieve.

##ENDS##