Media Release

KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter today introduced the Renewable Fuel Bill 2016 into Federal Parliament which will see ethanol flow from every petrol bowser in Australia at a minimum of 5% from 2019 and 10% from 2022.

Mr Katter was supported by fellow Queenslander and Leader of the Glenn Lazarus Team, Senator Glenn Lazarus.

The introduction of the Bill into Federal Parliament follows a win by the KAP in Queensland late last year which will see a 4% ethanol mandate in Queensland from 2018.

Mr Katter paid tribute to the proponents of ethanol in his speech in Parliament today and cited the four fundamental reasons that ethanol should go ahead: health, agriculture, fuel security and petrol prices.

“I think the opening statement should lie with Mr Iemma, the then Premier of New South Wales - he said, 'I cannot go another day with people's deaths on my conscience, people that simply don't have to die’,” Mr Katter said.

“The most distinguished medical journal in the world has released figures – if you double the amount of small particles (in the air with ordinary fuel) then you double the number of deaths from lung disease and pulmonary diseases for the heart and lungs.”

Mr Katter said that ethanol was critical for survival of the sugar and grains industries.

“The lot-feeding industry in Queensland is raging with horror at the thought of ethanol being introduced because it raises the price of grain.

“There are about 10 lot feeders in Australia—they do about 90 per cent of the lot feeding—and almost all of them are foreign owned corporations.

“So should we be looking after the 15,000 grain growers in Australia or the nine foreign corporations that are doing the lot feeding in Australia?

“In sugar we have been closing a sugar mill every two years and our industry is slowly grinding out of existence.

“And why - because we can’t compete. The value of our currency plus the massive direct subsidies in America and Europe make it impossible to compete.

“The Brazilians have been getting $420 per tonne for their sugar, yet we get $340 per tonne – the vast bulk of the Brazilian cane goes to the ethanol stream, while ours goes to the sugar stream,” Mr Katter said.

Mr Katter also pointed to Australia’s desperately low fuel security.

“Ten years ago we were almost entirely self-sufficient in fuel, now we have almost no domestic source of supply at all.

“We are the only country on earth that has no plan in case of an emergency or defence contingency.

“The NRMA has said that the fuel supply chain in Australia will shorten down to two weeks over the next two years.”

“If ISIS happens to blow up two or three fuel ships coming into Australia, this economy will be crippled as we are the only economy on earth totally dependent on imported fuel.”

Mr Katter said finally that the price of petrol under ethanol made it a no-brainer.

“The world price for petrol is AUD$.65c per litre yet the average price in Australia is AUD$1.15 per litre.

“Every county on earth with the exception of Australia, Africa and the Middle Eastern oil producing companies are relying on ethanol.

“But sending $25,000 million a year to the Middle East to buy oil, instead of sending it into rural Australia, is brainless stupidity.

“And what a ‘no brainer’ it is – to send $25,000 million into regional Australia where we are reeling in pain, or to the middle East,” Mr Katter said.

Attached photos are of:

World map showing countries using ethanol blended fuels;

Lung of a Sydney resident vs rural resident;

Hon Bob Katter fuelling up in Sao Paulo, Brazil;

Hon Bob Katter and Senator Glenn Lazarus at Parliament House press conference today.