Media Release

Australian Party Leader Bob Katter was at the coalface today for the launch of a work experience-style program aimed at giving politicians some hands-on insight into the impact of their decisions on our ailing manufacturing and farming industries.

"It is little wonder people think politicians are way out of touch with the working Australians who keep this nation running when we’re told that almost half of our federal parliamentarians now come from a ‘professional political class’," said the Federal Member for Kennedy, who was at Ballarat to launch Victorian Senator John Madigan’s ‘Australian Manufacturing & Farming Program’ with South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon.

"We’ve suffered a net loss of more than 153,000 direct manufacturing jobs since 1984; this means almost 500,000 direct or indirect jobs. Since Keating’s foolish initiative (brought to its full flouring under Costello) into free marketism, with the progressive removal of tariffs on imported vehicles, the Australian car manufacturing industry has dropped from supplying 86 per cent of the Australian market in 1987 to In 21 per cent in 2009.

"They have all-but killed manufacturing and farming in this country, and we are most supportive of efforts to make politicians to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.

"But it’s going to need this and much more to reverse the decline – such as Australian Party policies to reintroduce a state bank to support agriculture and manufacturing; mandating of Australian-made government vehicles and clothing for our armed forces and police; and the Australian production of 100 extra border control patrol boats."