Media Release

KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has warned more needs to be done against the risk of antibiotic immune tuberculosis (TB) entering Australia from our closest neighbour Papua New Guinea.

Mr Katter said the lack of Ebola protocols in Australia has brought to light another serious population health risk facing Australia – antibiotic immune TB.

“We should be looking after our cousin-brothers in PNG to stem the potential flow of antibiotic immune TB coming to Australia.

"The Torres Straits are closely linked to PNG with Saibai Island being only a mere eight kilometres away from PNG and Boigu Island; our most northern island, being only six kilometres away,” Mr Katter said.

A close relationship of trade and social connectedness exists between the Torres Strait and PNG making it difficult to confine movements in this northern remote and vast area of Australia.

“Related family have been coming down from PNG to the Torres Straits for thousands of years. They go fishing and visit cousins, relatives and friends.

“There is an interface with New Guinea and the Torres Straits, just as there is an interface with the Torres Straits and Cape York, and consequently Cape York mainland with the rest of Australia.

“If you’re going to say we should be stopping a disease from coming into Australia - well the health authorities that have spoken to us have identified and we should be attacking the TB problem up there at the source,” Mr Katter said.

Mr Katter’s call to galvanise efforts to prevent antibiotic immune TB entering Australia follows the recent death of a 32-year-old Australian citizen on September 29 at the Cairns Hospital as a result of infecting antibiotic immune TB.

“Our former Prime Minister Ben Chifley instituted an eradication of Tuberculosis in Australia and it was a very ruthless, brutal and highly effective campaign.

“At the end of the campaign we had eradicated Tuberculosis in Australia. So it can be done in New Guinea, but it requires a very heavy hand.

"We can’t stop the spread of this disease unless we attack it from the heart of PNG,” Mr Katter said.

Southern Cairns is in Mr Katter’s electorate of Kennedy; and the Cairns international and domestic airports are a main service point for the Kennedy electorate.