Media Release

KAP Federal Leader and Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has condemned the LNP State Government for not releasing the emergency $60m for farmers ahead of today’s tour of the stricken North West Qld cattle region with the Indonesian Ambassador Nadjib Riphat Kesoema.

“This is the height of hypocrisy from a government who promised at the North West Qld cattle crisis summit to give all the help they could,” said Mr Katter.

Mr Katter also said he had sought assurances the Federal Government would prioritise the restoration of Australia’s crucial live export industry during his imminent meetings with the Indonesian Government.

“The Prime Minister must get us a further opening of that market and absolutely assure, on a Government-to-Government basis, that we will never cut off their food supply again. As a Christian nation we have an obligation to our neighbours,” said Mr Katter.

Mr Katter’s comments came ahead of today’s first-hand tour of Gulf of Carpentaria stations – the coalface of the dire economic and animal welfare crisis gripping northern beef producers – joined by leaders of the recent North West Qld summit Cattlemen’s Crisis Committee, who last month travelled to Canberra to met with the Ambassador as part of ongoing discussions with the Member for Kennedy.

“From our little bailiwick of a dozen or so cattlemen, with the people behind us of course, we have seen the provision of $420m of Federal funding, with $60m for Queensland.

“We’ve also got Indonesia agreeing to put all of this year’s live export quota into the first half of year (which has opened up not as much as we need or want, but we’re getting there).

“And thirdly, for first time in my memory, we’ve got the RBA acknowledging a problem with the too-high dollar and declining industries in bringing down interest rates.

“But what we need now is an allocation of cattle exports for the second half of the year. We’ve got to find a way of getting rid of the hundreds of thousands of head of cattle starving because of drought and wildfire, and with no-one to sell to since the Federal Government’s live export ban destroyed our northern cattle industry.”

Mr Katter said North West Qld cattlemen are shooting their starving stock whilst the Qld Government sits on its hands in releasing the $60m in emergency Federal funding.

“We urgently request the State put aside politics and prioritise the lives of cattlemen, their families , their stock and their businesses as cattle die, families are ripped off the land, and vast tracts of Australia are being sold up.

“We’re now into our third month of the State sitting on the $60m and there can be no other explanation other than ‘playing politics’.”

PHOTO: Indonesian Ambassador Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, grazier Sam Collins and Bob Katter. Photo by Nola Gallagher