Media Release

KAP Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has today urged the Federal Government to capitalise on the COVID-19 crisis and use it as a lever to immediately stop any further sales of significant Australian assets to China.

Mr Katter said there had been increasing Chinese presence in the South Pacific, Papua New Guinea and in Australia where there has been aggressive purchasing of significant assets in the past as well as more recently in the Cape where a group of Chinese businessmen are eyeing off prime coastal First-Australian owned real estate.

Mr Katter said, “Every fifth day someone tells me about a South Pacific Island relative going to China to university, or about the huge things they are doing in New Guinea. They have claimed all of the South China Sea (Sth Pacific).

“A significant proportion of the Australian Country is from Chinese descent –whilst they don’t declare themselves to be Chinese and nor does anyone else – the Chinese Govt. declares them on a genetic claim.

“One of my wife’s best friends, one of my daughter’s best friends, one of KAP members of parliament will be very surprised to find out they are citizens of China.

“The Government has to consider that they place 30% of our exports in the basket of one country, and they have allowed 40% of the electricity industry to be owned by China – and 17% of our solar panels are supplied by China.

“Reportedly, Australia’s biggest farm, Van Diemen’s Dairy is owned by China. Our second biggest farm, Cubbie, is owned by China. Our third biggest farm and biggest land holding, Kidman, has significant Chinese ownership.

“Reportedly, 40% of Australia’s electricity is owned by China. That’s not including another 17% of our electricity provided by solar panels produced in China.

“The Ord River Stages 2 and 3 will be bigger than all three of those farms put together and was given to the Chinese by the LNP.”

He said, “The vast bulk of dairy factories in Australia was owned by Dairy Farmers – Australian, Lion – English, now owned by the Chinese.

“Our sugar refineries almost all are owned by the Chinese (not necessarily living in China) were almost all Australian owned 25 years ago.

“The Ports of Melbourne, Newcastle and Darwin have a controlling interest owned by China.

“Whilst we are not calling for legal action against China surely the Federal Government has to look at the reality of the dangers.”

Mr Katter said that the biggest proportion of temporary migrants that come to Australia are from China. He warned that most are supposed to go home but they don’t.

“We welcome them and hope they will become Australians but that won’t happen overnight. One thing is for certain, in 17 years’ time, Australia will not be populated by a majority of Australians.

“So do we have a Government? Or a bunch of lowlife salesmen making a big quid from taking 30 pieces of silver.

“At least use COVID virus as a lever to stop any more sales to a country which is the last dictatorship left on earth, extremely aggressive, totalitarian with no award wages, driven not by Christianity (love your neighbour), but by a seething cauldron of self-interest.

“At the end of the day, a country with a population of 25 million doesn’t have much say against a country with 1.4 Billion people.”

—ENDS—