Media Release

KAP Federal Leader and Member for Kennedy Bob Katter chose the National Press Club debate yesterday to announce two key policies: a 10 per cent customs duty on all imports and a reserved resource policy.

Commenting on polling and analysis that indicated that KAP would hold leverage in the new Parliament, Mr Katter again emphasised that the collapsing nature of manufacturing and agriculture would be a priority.

Mr Katter said a reserved resources policy worked to great effect in Queensland, where he was a mines and energy minister, when nearly half of the state’s power from Gladstone came via free coal.

“Part of the (coal) resource was reserved for the benefit of the people of Queensland,” said Mr Katter.

“Western Australia has a reportedly similar policy for their gas. Now gas, for example, is quadrupling in price –causing immense suffering from household budgets and hip pockets to mineral processing and steel manufacturing, fertiliser to even peanut processing.”

Meanwhile, the KAP would use power in the Parliament to leverage the introduction of a customs duty at 10 per cent on all imports, said Mr Katter.

“If someone chooses to buy a Mercedes instead of a Holden, then they will pay 10 per cent more,” he said.

“Projections would indicate that the duty would provide some $35,000 million of revenue."

Mr Katter said that the revenue, along with contributions from another soon-to-be announced policy, should make available to families some $8000 per child (this is in addition to the $5000 that was available up until last year).

That meant for family with three children, it would probably be cheaper for a mother to stay at home than pay child care, said Mr Katter.

“But either way, if you take out about $25,000 in accommodation costs and some $15,000 in tax from the average male weekly earnings of $79,000, it leaves a meagre $40,000 for five people ($8000 per person) compared to $80,000 each for a double-income-no-kids (DINKS) couple,” he said.

“No wonder everyone is postponing having babies. The question becomes: do you want a disposable income of $40,000 or $8000? Needless to say, people are deciding not to have babies."

Mr Katter said he failed to understand how everyday people with three children manage to make ends meet. "And that’s why we need to compensate these people.”

Mr Katter said “when 20 of we baby boomers die, there will be only 17 Australian babies born to replace them”.

“We are officially a vanishing race,” said Mr Katter. “Now I love Australians, and I want us to be rich through our resource retention policy so that in 1000 years, we will still be the incredible race of people we call Australians.”