Media Release

KAP Federal Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter has slammed the “no vote” virtual parliament agreement between Labor and the Coalition as being “anti-democracy”.

The agreement means MPs who choose to stay in their electorate can participate in speeches, bills and questions but not divisions.

The announcement means the Kennedy MP must choose between protecting the health of North Queenslanders from Covid or protecting democracy, while the major party MPs have the luxury of voting pairs. 

“I am computer illiterate. For those of us that went through the dreadful trauma of the Fitzgerald Inquiry, that is the most lethal exposure you can have. People can put anything on a computer and my protection is that I don’t know how to use it.

“But even if I was a computer wizard I have still lost my fundamental right to represent my people and protect their health and the same time.

“This agreement moves us into a dangerous party-democracy and not a people’s democracy.

“Parliamentary democracy is where you elect a person and he has his say. Now we don’t have our say. That is a party democracy, not a people’s democracy. If you’re in a party, you get to vote and if you’re not in a major party you don’t get to vote.”

Mr Katter has been requesting virtual voting since April when he wrote the Prime Minster, and again called on the PM to allow the six crossbench votes to count in a virtual Parliament

“This online system where they say you are unable to vote, you’re telling me lies. You just want a two party duopoly, not a democracy. That is what you are after. Just the leadership of the Coalition and the leadership of the Labor Party controlling the nation.

“If this happens it will mean the destruction of democracy. It means a situation where we just move into a circle of politicians that are run by donations, visa shops, trade unions and rich and powerful corporations. They own your party and you are just puppets on a string.

“I mean come on. I’ll organise a cardboard cut-out of myself to make the divisions in Canberra if I have to.”

-ENDS-