Media Release

The Federal Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter thanks Alan Jones for throwing his support behind the workers of Queensland Nickel (QNI).

“We welcome the news that Alan Jones will be coming up to chair the meeting,” said Mr Katter.

This is the first meeting organised by the workers. It will be held at 1:45PM, Monday, 11 April at The Ville Casino in Townsville.

Mr Katter has called on the State and Federal governments, business leaders and the workers to assert themselves at the meeting:

“Workers need to demand a worker’s buy-out or some other approach to get QNI reopened,” said Mr Katter.

“The business leadership in Townsville must step forward and organise a prominent business group to provide comfort for a government coming in with a guaranteed loans scheme and discomfort for any of the politicians not backing a buy-out scheme.”

“There must be action from the State ALP members and the Federal LNP and Senators to help us here. I’ll be the first to encourage and applaud them if they step forward and fight for their people. Come on fellas!”

“When you’ve got 2000 families in the electorate staring down the gun barrel of bankruptcy or near bankruptcy, it is your responsibility to get off your tailbone and do something about it.”

Mr Katter said this meeting is an opportunity for the workers to say what they want:

“There were 40 or 50 of the workers at the leadership meeting that I attended and I saw in them a determination in them to fight.”

“Fellas, ladies we can win this. But we can only win this as a community who stands up and fights.”

“The first people who need to stand up are the workers and I would plead on bended knees to a quarter of those workers who I represent, and to the concerned people of the town to attend Monday’s meeting.”

##ENDS##