Media Release

KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has today slammed comments made to the media by Senator Barry O’Sullivan that Mr Katter and other key speakers of Winton's Last Stand rural debt summit held in December had ruined the reputation of Winton by misrepresenting numbers of foreclosures in the area.

“This is shameful. This is their answer to the rural debt crisis, to accuse us and to say there’s no real problem.

“Our figures came from the Catholic Priest in Longreach, Father Matthew Moloney, who said there were 46 families being sold up in the greater Longreach area alone.

“The now famous and revered Charlie Phillott personally told me of another 12 stations that were being sold up, in the process of being sold up, or already gone.

“A month ago seven key people whose opinions I trust told me that 60 per cent of stations were in serious trouble and would find it very difficult to survive. I had difficulty in believing the first one who told me 60 per cent, but after all seven quoted me the same figure, I did believe”.

Mr Katter said any figures the LNP are quoting are coming from the banks.

“They’re out there as spokespeople for the banks, not the people. Unlike Senator O’Sullivan, who wouldn’t know anyone on the land in these areas except his LNP flunkies who will tell him what he wants to hear, I know what I’m talking about.

“You can believe the banks’ figures or you can believe the Catholic Priest, the Charlie Phillots and every other cattleman stretching from the Gulf to Cape York to Central Queensland.”

Mr Katter said you only had to have attended the Winton Last Stand Meeting to see the size of the problem.

“Alan Jones was there, farmers from all across Australia were there. I’m sure that none of them would be too happy about the Senator’s comments. I think you’d better take him back to Brisbane.”

Mr Katter said he had also consistently heard Minister Joyce say he couldn’t get the Liberals in Cabinet to agree to any substantial packages for rural Australia.

“What Minister Joyce is effectively saying is that his job is more important than your survival. The Country Party walked out of the Coalition three times, they sacrificed their jobs for the survival of their people. Let there be no doubt that KAP is now the Country Party,” Mr Katter said.

The Katter’s Australian Party announced last week that it intends to transition the existing Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority (QRAA) into a Queensland Industry Development Bank (QIDB) so that regional businesses, land owners and local industries will have access to much needed finance, loaning at concessional government set rates.

“We want a State Bank to take over the bad debt, to write off a percentage of the debt and loan it back to farmers at around two per cent interest. In that case over 90 per cent of those at risk will pull through,” Mr Katter said.