Media Release

KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter today labelled comments by the newly appointed Queensland Agricultural Minister that he may oppose the live cattle industry as “criminally irresponsible”.

The Minister is reported to have said that he would oppose the live cattle industry if there was no price benefit and if it would threaten jobs in the meat processing sector.

“The fact that you are placing in jeopardy a $400 million a year industry for Queensland is criminally irresponsible,” Mr Katter said.

“If you think that you can cut off protein to your nearest neighbor and get away with that, you are a dangerous imbecile.

“Maybe my attitude is coloured by the fact that as a lad of 18 I was handed an SLR rifle and had to give two telephone numbers as my battalion was on 24 hour combat notice to go into Indonesia. I never want my country to be at war again with Indonesia.”

He followed that he was accepting that the Minister’s comments must have been misquoted or taken out of context.

“The growth of the live cattle market is so small that not only does it not jeopardise the job of a single meat worker, but in fact there is enormous interest, particularly in China, in building a meatworks in North Queensland.

“We have advised the KAP state members that they get into see this Minister quick smart, to tell him that over a five year period, properly handled, we can double the cattle numbers in North Queensland. Every cattle farmer knows that this is a reasonable target.

“But there has to be a complete answer to drought and that means every cattle station down to a five acre land holder has to be able get an irrigation license for a maximum of 300 hectares per land holder. This would not take even .1 % of Nth Queensland’s waters, nor.1% of Nth Queensland’s land mass.”

Mr Katter said that irrigation licenses would double the number of meat workers in Queensland.

“The Minster would be better spent spending his time stopping fly in meat workers from overseas. In fact, more than half of our meat workers in Australia now are section 457 visa workers from overseas, yielding negligible long term benefit to the economy.

“That and a few strategic mini-irrigation developments will double the number of meat workers in North Queensland, as I hope and pray that a 1000 of those new jobs will go to Charters Towers and 5 other Gulf and Mid-West towns where there will be quartering works.”