Media Release

KAP Federal Leader and Member for Kennedy Bob Katter caused a ruckus in Parliament today when he questioned the Minister for Indigenous Affairs about the continued denigration of First Australians and the Government’s failure to issue freehold title deeds.

During the fiery Question Time exchange, Mr Katter inquired whether the Minister was aware of media reports that police armed with guns and tasers had lined up First Australians in their search for alcohol and contraband; and whether the Minister would agree that First Australians had been failed by provocation from the Qld Government.

But the Minister failed to adequately address the question; instead responding that while she considered the situation was very important and serious, “horrific damage had been done in indigenous communities as a result of alcohol abuse”.

The Member for Kennedy condemned the Minister’s failure to address the question raised.

“I am making the exact opposite point - I am saying that banning alcohol is wrong," said Mr Katter.

Before leaving the Chamber in disgust, Mr Katter repeated that the continued denigration of First Australians was utterly unacceptable.

“The Minister has no right to denigrate the situation in First Australian communities when she has failed to give them the economic building blocks to issue title deeds," he said.

“But infinitely more importantly it is a complete failure to honour one of Kevin Rudd’s promises to build all government housing in communities, with exclusively local First Australian labour. The Minister has treated that promise with absolute contempt.

“The whole thing is disintegrating out there because of prerogative actions by the Queensland Government.

“In Queensland, at the last State Election, the Liberal Party promised to remove grog bans if they were elected. This sent the crudest of messages when they all voted Liberal and clearly they still haven’t got their grog back."

Mr Katter said the inadequate response from the Minister on whether she would continue the imposition of discriminatory intervention and refuse to provide a perpetual freehold title highlighted lack of traction on the issues thus far.

“In the last 21 years since the overturning of my legislation to give First Australians the right to own their own homes, there hasn’t been a single move for title deeds in States like Queensland," said Mr Katter.

“The right to own your own home is a right enjoyed by every other Australian and most people on Earth so why not them?”