Media Release

Bob Katter MP was today prevented from asking a question of the Government for the first time in his Parliamentary career.

Mr Katter’s question centered around State and Federal Governments’ deceit to the Australian people on why the Galilee Basin, Australia’s largest coal reserves has not been developed.

Andrew Forrest said WA Govt’s refusal to build the key rail corridor set WA mining back 23 years.

Every inch of rail coal line in Queensland was built by Govt.

Whilst applauding the Fed Govt on environmental issues in the Galilee.

The Govt can build this rail line tomorrow?

The real problem, a failure by Adani to raise capital, is the same as Rinehart’s GVK and Palmer’s China First, Minister?

The Government had spent the day quite rightly blaming Greenies but Mr Katter blaming Governments for non-action was derailing LNP agenda.

The Defence Minister was called in to prevent the Minister for Trade from having to answer the question, whilst the Chamber descended into uproar. Even Opposition members defended Mr Katter’s right to be answered, whilst Mr Katter shouted to the chamber, “Stop blaming, just build the bloody thing”.

“The Government did not want the House to know that the reason the Galilee Basin is not operating is all about a failure to raise capital,” Mr Katter said.

“The Government has been deceitful in the extreme as every investment financier in Australia is aware of this fact.

“The Government must be applauded on the belting of the Greenies on this issue, but the Greenie issue is ultimately irrelevant. Both the State and Federal Governments (both LNP and ALP) have indicated their strong support.”

Mr Katter again challenged, “put your money where your mouth is”.

“What they actually did is set up a neon light saying that they don’t want Katter to tell the real truth. They knew exactly what I was on about and deliberately closed me down, so that they can make political capital out of blaming the Greenies.

“The truth is that both State and Federal Governments are refusing to finance the railway line, when in Queensland every single inch of the existing 5,200 km of coal railway line was built by the Queensland Government, meaning it was owned by and profited the people of Queensland,

“Facilitating the Galilee coal fields with a Government built rail line will cost a lousy $2,000 million. They provided $10,000 million in the last budget for infrastructure in the cities that don’t provide a single job.

“And there is no doubt in my mind that the State Government is just as culpable if not more so than the Federal Government on the issue of the Galilee Rail line,” Mr Katter said.