Media Release

KAP Leader andFederal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter today moved legislation that will ensure Australian Government contracts are fulfilled with Australian goods and services.

The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Amendment (Procuring Australian Goods and Services) Bill 2016 requires that contracts on behalf of Commonwealth entities be made up with goods and services produced from at least 75 per cent Australian labour or at least 75 per cent goods manufactured or produced in Australia.

Mr Katter said that the Bill would create jobs and remove Australians from welfare, as well as create billions of dollars in extra revenue and taxation. But more importantly, he said it would ensure the continuation of our technological, industrial and defence capabilities.

“In this place the people have a voice – but the only voice seems to be the few of us sitting on the cross benches.

“You take a survey in the electorate and 90% of people want something – but the people in this place do not serve their electorates, they serve their political party.

“The laughing stock of this country is the Government who has their Australian flags made in China.

“A Government who has the boots of their soldiers made in China.

“And we can no longer produce a whitegood in this country – a stove, a washing machine or a fridge.

“This is an interesting period in Australian history, in the last six months Australia made its last motor car.

“In the argument about whether Australia should make its own motor cars, they quoted the chief protagonist in the Brooklyn Bridge argument.

“They were looking at whether the English could build a better bridge – they knew if the English built the bridge they only got the bridge. But if the Americans built the bridge, they got the bridge and the money.

“What this bill does is creates jobs – let me be specific and talk about our ship building and our submarines – there are some 4,000 jobs involved in those operations.

“But if Government contracts do not go to Australians then we will lose the technological capacity to build anything.

“I see the hypocrisy of the Government with their innovation advertisements on the television.

“How can you innovate when you’ve got no industry or market left to produce those innovations?” Mr Katter said.