Media Release

Federal Member for Kennedy and KAP Leader Bob Katter today stressed that the Gaililee Basin, not Adani, is essential to the future of the Queensland economy, after the Queensland Treasurer yesterday said that Adani was “not the be all and end all” to the State.

“If the Treasurer, who I respect, is talking about Adani I’d probably agree with him; but if he’s talking about the Galilee coal fields I’d diametrically disagree with him.

“The only possible development that can take place in this State outside of ethanol is the Upper Burdekin and Upper Herbert irrigation proposals and the Galilee coal fields.

“Everyone has a fixation on Adani. But Adani is just one operator in half of the known coal reserves of Australia.

“Everyone’s put them up front, well just forget about them, relegate them to a back bench, because they’re just one operator in there.

“The Government is trying desperately to get out of building the railway line, which would open up the coal fields and make it a multi-user facility.

“Because a single operator cannot support the railway line. That is the problem why Adani walked away, that is the reason why Rinehart’s GVK walked away, that’s the reason why Palmer’s China First walked away.

“The Government in Brisbane says to us they’ve got no money to build a railway, yet there was enough money to announce a five thousand million dollar tunnel last year. It’s only two and a half thousand million dollars to build the railway into the Galilee.

“If you spend five thousand million dollars on a tunnel in Brisbane, a few thousand people get home ten minutes earlier to watch the television.

“But if you halve that figure and build the railway line, then you will create 17 thousand direct jobs immediately.

“We have the muscle power now in Queensland, and if Peter Wellington and Billy Gordon come with us, we are determined that the railway line will be built,” said Mr Katter.