Media Release

KAP Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has congratulated Murray-Darling communities for leading a tenacious fight to force a Coalition backflip on water cutbacks.

Following intense pressure by Mr Katter – including a proposal to introduce his own disallowance motion on the water cutbacks – a Coalition MP late last night moved to disallow the Basin Plan under the controversial Water Act 2007.

But Mr Katter said the move was dripping with hypocrisy.

“It is the Coalition who initiated the Murray-Darling debacle. And it is the Coalition who, still to this day, support the Murray-Darling debacle,” said Mr Katter.

“The fact is that the ALP and LNP have for years worked together in conjunction with the ‘greenie monster’ to decimate Murray-Darling communities.

“We acted in good faith yesterday against this collective greenie monster, and asked those who have threatened to cross the floor to support our disallowance motion.

“Instead of support we got hypocrisy – the architects got out the demolition ball.

“I mean, it was the LNP who first dreamed up this rubbish to take away the people’s water rights, and now because of the mass demonstrations – and the minute after we visit Murray-Darling communities – they’re running scared.

“And right there is the power of the KAP. It’s a magnificent victory for the people of the Murray-Darling, and we don’t doubt for a minute that if we hadn’t been down there last week, then the outcome today would be entirely different.”

Mr Katter said while the Greens would vote against the Labor Government’s Basin Plan “for their own crazy reasons”, both major parties should stand condemned for destroying the economic base of inland New South Wales, northern Victoria and south-eastern South Australia.

As Mr Katter told the Parliament yesterday: “To see what this place has done to the Murray-Darling would make any patriotic Australian blush with embarrassment and shame (and) should make every member of this place feel utterly ashamed of themselves.”