Media Release

KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter yesterday attended the first of the Queensland Government’s Parliamentary Hearings into FIFO arrangements in Mackay and Moranbah, making a determined call for a complete ban on FIFO workers for all new mines.

State Memberfor Dalrymple Shane Knuth MP is sitting on the on the Parliamentary Committee and Moranbah is within Mr Knuth’s electorate in the heart of the Bowen Basin.

“We don’t want to disrupt people’s lives, but we’re saying for new mines – you want a job there, you go live there,” Mr Katter said.

“Because our little towns are not going to continue to die.

“And we’re not going to subject our workers to a situation where they have no family life and no lifestyle.

“You want to enjoy family life, be with your kids. If you take all of those things away, what are you going down a mine and risking your life for?”

Mr Katter rejected the argument that banning FIFO would inhibit economic growth.

“Fly in fly out mining was banned in Queensland under the Bjelke-Peterson Government and also by the Charles Court Government in Western Australia.

“These are the two States that have had the greatest economic growth in Australian history with the creation of the iron ore industry in WA and the coal industry in Queensland.

“People are arguing that banning FIFO is a restraint on growth, that we couldn’t possibly base people locally - well you’ve shown no growth in the last two years in the iron ore and coal industries.

“But when we had the ban growth was going through the roof,” Mr Katter said.

Mr Katter said that those who supported FIFO arrangements did so to appease foreign corporations and undermine the pay and conditions of workers.

“Some say ours is an extremist position, well it wasn’t in WA for 20 years or in Queensland for 40 years.

“But we’ve moved the goal posts so far that all we listen to now are the interests of the foreign owned mining corporations.

“The Governments don’t listen to the people anymore.

“They want to undermine our pay and conditions to put us back where we were 100 years ago.

“Every day you hear that wages are too high, that Australians don’t work - well I’m getting a bit sick and tired of hearing that cause I’m an Australian and I don’t like being called a bludger,” Mr Katter said.