Media Release

THE Australian Party Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter today met with His Excellency Primo Alui Joelianto, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Australia, in a bid to repair neighbourly relations damaged by the Australian Government’s inept handling of the live export cattle.

"We’re a Christian country and we should love and look after our nearest neighbours, and they happen to be Indonesians and Filipinos," said Mr Katter.

Mr Katter said the Australian Government had not only thoughtlessly insulted the Indonesians with its ill-conceived, knee-jerk ban on cattle exports to the nation – it had also deprived the Indonesian people of a valuable source of protein.

"We have a responsibility to our closest neighbour. An estimated one‐third of Indonesia, 80 million people, go to bed hungry every night," said Mr Katter.

"Let’s hope they have a Christian attitude and return good for evil.

"This is more than I can say for the Australian authorities who blamed the Indonesians for their own shortcomings and simultaneously delivered a crippling blow to our Northern cattle industry, which will no doubt struggle to recover for some time to come."