Media Release

Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter and State Member for Dalrymple Shane Knuth have called on the State Government to stop the blame game over the downfall of Clive Palmer’s Queensland Nickel and instead focus on saving the 3,000 jobs that are at risk.

Mr Katter and Mr Knuth addressed a press conference in Townsville today just hours after Queensland Nickel, one of the biggest private employers in North Queensland, was placed into voluntary administration.

“We could all spend our time fooling around working out who’s to blame – but we’re not interested in that – we’re interested in the worker’s jobs and the effect on the economy in the greater Townsville region,” Mr Katter said.

“The situation here is that there are two Governments involved, there are nearly 1,000 jobs in jeopardy and you need some financial loans to be made available.

“Now if the State Government wants to look at the books, for heaven’s sake – haven’t the Government got anyone that can just go in and look at the books – and if Clive Palmer doesn’t like it, well too bad for Clive.

“Now I’m not knocking Clive – the nickel plant was closed when he came in, yet he re-opened it and gave it an extra 15 years of life.

“This is all about the price of nickel dropping from $24,000 a tonne down to $8,000 a tonne – and I don’t care if Clive Palmer is St Paul returned to earth – there’s nothing he can do about a situation like that.

“So I plead with the Government - get off your backside and get in there.

“You have a situation where Townsville, Mackay, all of North Queensland are screaming out in pain – we’ve got thousands out of work in the Townsville area and probably tens of thousands out of work in north Queensland.

“In that situation you get in and you do public works – but you don’t build self-indulgent infrastructure, you build productive infrastructure.

“You build the rail line into the Galilee coal fields, because by the time it’s built, the coal prices will be all right again.

“You start work on the Upper Burdekin Irrigation Scheme at Hells Gate, which has been talked about since 1929.

“But don’t do anymore talking about it, just build it.

“Because I’m not the slightest bit interested in who’s been a naughty boy and who’s been incompetent - there’s nothing you can do about the price of nickel dropping through the floor – the Government needs to step in,” Mr Katter said.

State Member for Dalrymple Shane Knuth also urged the Government to stop finding holes and focus on saving jobs, including considering the option of providing a guarantee to Queensland Nickel.

“One of the things is we don’t want the Government doing is just looking for holes within the books of Queensland Nickel.

“The KAP warned the State Government and Federal Government right from the beginning – if they didn’t do anything before Christmas then we would not see Queensland Nickel continue.

“If you look at the families, the jobs, the flow on effects, the taxation – what was $30 million to the State Government to guarantee Queensland Nickel?

“So let’s forget about all of this “let’s wait and see”, or “this is about Clive and the politics” – this is not about Clive.

“This is about jobs for the region. This is about industry that has been destroyed. This is something that has propped Townsville and Thuringowa up for decades.

“This is going to affect towns like Charters Towers where people are going to be looking for jobs – but there are no jobs anywhere.

“So I would say to the State Government and the Federal Government – get out of your subterranean existence – venture out and save these jobs, do something now, otherwise the impact will be severe.

“Because the tit for tat - people just don’t care about it. Just get out there and find a solution,” Mr Knuth said.