Media Release

KAP Federal Leader and Member for Kennedy Bob has called on the Federal Government to address the haemorrhaging of Aussie jobs and industries caused by the importation of cheap foreign labour and products during his final Question Time opportunity in the 43rd Parliament.

With the loss of nearly 4000 jobs in the past seven weeks at Holden, Fairfax, Ford, Telstra and SPC Ardmona; as well as Simplot and SPC Ardmona threatening another 2000 job losses, Mr Katter asked the Prime Minister: “In light of this continued collapse, can the government as a matter of urgency (1) impose upon food imports the World Trade Organization provision for temporary emergency tariffs; (2) mandate all motor vehicles purchased under a government contract will be Australia-made; and (3) pressure down the value of the Australian dollar?”

"The competitiveness of Aussie food producers is already badly handicapped by our artificially-inflated Australian dollar, which makes it up to 60 per cent cheaper to import foreign produce at the expense of Australian jobs and industry,” said Mr Katter.

"Now they're at risk of an untrammelled supermarket oligopoly, with imports of foreign fruit for their cheaper private label 'home brands' having seen their market share of domestic packaged fruit increase to a reported 58 per cent, whilst SPCA's market share has shrunk to just 33 per cent.”

The question follows Mr Katter’s condemnation of the Federal Government at the weekend for moving too slowly to respond to SPCA’s request for temporary tariffs on the flood of cheap imports squeezing locals off the shelves.

"SPC Ardmona pleaded with the government months ago for the emergency safeguards, but instead we are told on Friday that an inquiry just to consider whether temporary tariffs are even justified is not due to report to government for another three months, which is after the election," said Mr Katter.

The announcement of the inquiry followed a motion to the Parliament by Mr Katter demanding the government endorse emergency temporary tariffs on the cheap foreign imports threatening the viability of food producers.

With Australia's once-proud manufacturing industries threatening to become little more than a footnote in our nation's history, Mr Katter had also put another motion before the House of Representatives, which has also not been listed for debate.

The motion demands the Parliament acknowledge that "a strong and sustainable manufacturing industry is integral to Australia’s economic and technological advancement" and calls on the Federal Government to "mandate that all motor vehicles purchased by local, State and Federal Government be Australian-made using predominantly Australian steel".

"Australia’s motor vehicle industry workforce has shrunk by one-third in the past decade - from 78,700 in May 2003 down to 50,100 by February 2013," warned Mr Katter.

"Meanwhile, the share of Australian-made vehicle sales compared to sales of imported vehicles in this country has shrunk from 73 per cent in 1987 down to 12 per cent in 2012. In 1987, Australian units comprised some 317,000 out of a total 435,000 units sold; whilst last year, Australian units accounted for just 140,000 from a total of 972,000 sales.

"Is this the track we want our nation to go down; from being a proud manufacturing powerhouse to rapidly becoming a technologically backward country?”