Media Release

KENNEDY MP, Bob Katter has celebrated the end of the lock-up of First Australian communities and thanked members of the communities who fought for the Commonwealth biosecurity determination to be lifted.

“We thank the people who stood on their two feet and got up and fought and didn’t just roll over and cop this,” he said.

“These people include those on Mornington Island, in Doomadgee, Yarrabah, Lockhart River and Aurukun. There may be others but these are the people who caused the State and Federal Governments real trouble and wouldn’t accept being locked up like animals.

“The rest of Australia was locked down but the community areas were locked-up. I cannot understand the forbearance of the First Australian people. We fought the fight and now we have some rights.”

Despite the end of the lock-up, Mr Katter said discrimination was still occurring under the State Government’s Coronavirus regime.

“We are restricted in where we can travel around Queensland, but every other resident can travel wherever they want around the state,” he said.

“They are using arguments of diabetes and malnutrition, as well as over-crowding as a way of justifying treating First Australians differently.

“Well the Federal Government promised me 20 months ago that they would build market gardens, as a way of combating the health issues, and yet they haven’t even put plans in place or talked to a contract farmer or nutritionist.

“On the issue of over-crowding, well the programs under we which built 2000 houses in the 1980s could be reinstituted tomorrow, but instead they have closed down the house building programs altogether and we can’t access title deeds to build our own. All of this just has to stop.”

—ENDS—