Saturday 9^th June 2018

Grant support call (Herbert River Express, June 9)
KAP state leader Robbie Katter and Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto wants the major parties to support their call to increase the First Home Owners Grant. From July 1, the First Home Owners Grant will drop from $20,000 to $15,000. KAP wants the grant to be retained at $20,000 and to be extended to first home buyers purchasing established homes. Mr Dametto said feedback he received was that people are “very supportive” of retaining the grant at $20,000 and extending it to established homes in regional areas.

MP slams deferral decision (Herbert River Express, June 9)
HINCHINBROOK MP Nick Dametto has accused the State Government of abandoning Cardwell and putting lives at risk after yet another refusal to dredge One Mile Creek. Mr Dametto, who tabled a petition in state parliament in March with 1355 signatures calling for the creek to be dredged, said it was “insulting” that Development Minister Cameron Dick’s official response was the same as previous replies – that dredging was the responsibility of Port Hinchinbrook developer.

Country issues for KAP (Townsville Bulletin, June 9)
FERAL animal management, water projects and a rethink on youth crime are high on the budget agenda for Katter’s Australia Party. Traeger MP Robbie Katter has outlined the key priorities the party would like to see funded in the 2018-19 State Budget. It includes $4 million to support the management of feral animals such as pigs and dogs.

WIN Townsville, Townsville, WIN News at 18:04
Katter’s Australian Party held a forum on crime in Townsville last night and the headline was supposed to be its remote Relocation Sentencing Policy intended to give magistrates greater power. However, a suggestion by one of the participants could take the Katter’s ‘tough-on-crime’ solution to a whole new level. The idea was well received by forum participants including Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey and Townsville City Councillor Margie Ryder.

Southern Cross Townsville, Townsville, Nine News North Queensland at 18:02
The Katter’s Australian Party is hoping last night’s forum on youth crime will put pressure on the State Government to support relocation centres. They want unruly kids to complete community service in the far west. But not everyone is sold on the plan. Regional bootcamps were tried by the Newman State Government. But Bob Katter says his out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach has legs.

Former One Nation Senator Fraser Anning will join Bob Katter’s Australian Party. Katter claims he left the Nationals due a destructive party line.

Townsville Enterprise CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said for North Queensland, the key test for any budget was job creation and investment. “Our region still has high unemployment and we need to see commitments towards projects and policies that will stimulate jobs, investment and confidence,” Ms O’Callaghan said.

“We acknowledge that the challenges in our region will not be fixed overnight, but greater public investment into a pipeline of projects will not only create jobs immediately, but set the roadmap for our future.”

Ms O’Callaghan said priorities that required government funding include the Mount Isa to Townsville Supply Chain, lowering energy prices, the fast tracking of Townsville’s $225M water pipeline, regulating the Mount Isa to Townsville Air route to decease the cost of airfares, and tourism infrastructure.

”The Mount Isa to Townsville supply chain is an important link into one of the richest mineral provinces in the world, yet it is not working effectively nor efficiently,” she said. “We need to address the cost of access and ensure rail is the most cost-effective option to transport products between the regions.”

Katter’s Australian Party MP’s Robbie Katter, Shane Knuth and Nick Dametto also identified the Townsville to Mount Isa rail line as a priority and said funding should be allocated to reduce regulatory charges on rail. They called for government support to ensure construction of high voltage electricity transmission line to connect the North West Minerals Province to the National Electricity Market.

They also identified the high cost of regional airfares and said incentives should be provided to attract new airlines to the regions. Water licensing in North West Queensland was also a priority, as was funding to establish a Hell’s Gate Dam Authority group.

Youth crime was also a concern and they called on the government to implement their relocation sentencing policy to aid in the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. They also asked for $250,000 to create an independent body to investigate establishing a separate North Queensland state.

Feral animals and weeds were also a concern, with KAP calling for increased funding to control feral pigs and dogs and invasive weeds like prickly acacia and navua sedge. Burdekin MP and Opposition spokesman for North Dale Last said he feared the budget would feature very little for Regional Queensland.

“All I ask is that we get our fair share of the pie,” Mr Last said. Mr Last said funding was required for several road upgrades in his vast electorate, including upgrading the Bruce Highway with construction of turning lanes into Gumlu and Alligator Creek and additional passing lanes.

Upgrades to boat ramps, sport precincts, community halls and police and ambulance stations were also priorities. Mr Last said his top priority was $50,000 for a pre-feasibility study into a Food Processing Plant in Bowen.

“The Food Processing Plant would create jobs and diversification for the horticulture industry in Bowen and the surrounding areas,” Mr Last said. “I have been very realistic in what I want for my electorate; the projects are about protecting the community, opportunities and realistic improvements to facilities.”

Time for long look at ethanol benefits (Townsville Bulletin, June 13)
ANOTHER sugar crushing season is upon us. The Opposition treasury spoeksman Chris Bowen has called for a paper from the KAP on ethanol and I am giving each of the key members in the Labor and Liberal parties an outlined brief on the significance of ethanol. Vehicle emissions kill more people than accidents. On average $20,000 million goes to the Middle East to buy oil instead of Australia, which has no indigenous supply of petrol.

Infrastructure the answer to high costs (Atherton Tablelander, June 12)
INCREASING water and energy infrastructure will reduce the cost of living and the cost of doing business on the Tablelands. The Member for Hill, Shane Knuth, outlined an infrastructure program to increase water storage, improve Tinaroo Falls Dam levels and provide clean energy to more than 100,000 homes in State Parliament recently.

Hon Bob Katter MP KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy together with Representatives of the Children’s Hospital Foundation addressed media at Uncle Bob’s Bakery, Belmont Qld at 1:15pm regarding the launch of the 2018 Pie of Origin’s Queensland representative; Uncle Bob’s Bakery. $1 of every pie sold during the Origin period will be donated to the Children’s Hospital Foundation representing Lady Cilento Children’s hospital. The goal is to raise $50,000.

Shane Knuth supports aerial feral pig shooting program (Mareeba Express, June 13)
KAP State Member for Hill Shane Knuth is determined to protect the billion dollar agriculture Industry from diseases such as Panama TR4, by taking one of its biggest threats, feral pigs, through an aerial feral pig shooting program. Mr Knuth has met with Agriculture Minister Mark Furner to update him on the severe threat feral pigs pose to the regions agriculture business, through the spread of deadly diseases such as Panama TR4 from property to property.

Southern Cross Townsville, Townsville, Nine News North Queensland at 18:15
Katter’s Australia Party has responded to the State Budget and it has urged the [State] Government to do more for people in rural and regional Qld. Robbie Katter is urging Labor to reduce payroll tax from 4.75% to 2.4%. The party also wants the first home buyers’ grant [First Home Owner Grant] [to be] attached to established homes in regional areas. The LNP will respond to the Budget tomorrow.

Southern Cross Bundaberg, Bundaberg, Nine News Wide Bay at 18:15
Katter’s Australia Party has responded to the State Budget and it has urged the [State] Government to do more for people in rural and regional Qld. Robbie Katter is urging Labor to reduce payroll tax from 4.75% to 2.4%. The party also wants the first home buyers’ grant [First Home Owner Grant] attached to established homes in regional areas. The LNP will respond to the Budget tomorrow.

The Bill would make it mandatory for “rogue” crocodiles to be removed from Queensland’s populated waterways if the reptiles posed a threat to human safety. Mr Knuth said there had been no public hearing on the Bill in Townsville but he believed it would be a good idea as part of the Innovation, Tourism Development and Environment Committee.

“With regard to consultation with Townsville, we have heard reports of crocodiles in Townsville,” he said.  “And I believe that is increasing because it is spreading down.”

Under questioning from Member for Whitsunday Jason Costigan, Mr Knuth said people were starting to get “massive amounts” of crocodile reports in Ingham through to Mackay and even Rockhampton. “Would I like public hearings in Townsville and would I like public hearings in Mackay?’ Absolutely,” Mr Knuth said.

“If you are prepared as a committee to go to Mackay and go to Cairns and Innisfail and Tully, which are the areas where we receive most of those reported sightings, I would be happy for you to do so.”

Mr Knuth said during the March floods many crocodiles were sighted in the Ingham and Innisfail areas.  “While I have the floor, Mr Chair, I really encourage you to have these public hearings in Ingham (because even the mayor had one in his yard), Innisfail and in Cairns, where most of the beach closures are around Port Douglas,” he said.

The Bill plans to establish a Queensland crocodile authority, which would have the right to issue permits to relocate or kill crocodiles. “As well as protecting human life, the Safer Waterways Bill 2018 aims to create a significant and sustainable crocodile industry in Queensland through controlled egg harvesting,” Mr Knuth said.

A report on the Bill is due on September 24.

Bob Katter- Letter to the Editor: Sugar to fuel the nation (Northern Miner, June 15)
ANOTHER sugar crushing season is upon us. The opposition Treasurer Chris Bowen has called for a paper from the KAP on ethanol and I am giving each of the key members in the ALP and Liberal parties an outlined brief on the significance of ethanol

Crocs moving south (Townsville Bulletin, June 15)
Knuth warns of predators ‘from Ingham to Rockhampton’ “MASSIVE” numbers of crocodiles are being seen from Ingham to Rockhampton, Katter’s Australian Party MP Shane Knuth says.

KAP set to tackle gender radicals (Cairns Post, June 15)
POLITICALLY correct terms will be consigned to history and protection will be given to “everyday” people who are persecuted and punished for using gender-based language under a radical bill to be introduced to State Parliament. Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter said his “He Said, She Said” bill, to be introduced to the house in September was to ensure people’s freedoms against “radical ideologists” who had crept up “inch by inch.”

Law to save his and hers (Courier Mail, June 15)
POLITICALLY correct terms would be consigned to history and protection be given to stop “everyday” people being persecuted and punished for using gender-based language under a Bill to be introduced to State Parliament. Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter said his “He Said, She Said” Bill, to be introduced to the house in September, was to ensure people had freedom against “radical ideologists” who had crept up “inch by inch”.

Katter: new croc policy is a crock (Daily Mercury, June 15)
A MULTIMILLION-dollar crocodile management fund that promotes public education “spits in the face” of North Queenslanders, say Katter’s Australia Party. State leader Robbie Katter said the continuation of the Government’s three-year $5.8 million enhanced crocodile management, which included $919,000 for 2018-19 allocated in the budget, was a “useless” spend. “Educating people is a euphemism for telling people not to swim in the watering holes and beaches you’re used to swimming in all your life because of the explosion in croc numbers,” he said.

4BC, Brisbane, 07:00 News at 07:01
The Katter’s Australian Party will introduce new legislation to protect Queenslanders from having to use politically correct gender-neutral language, and leader Robbie Katter says the bill will be introduced on September.

ABC Radio Sydney, Sydney, 06:30 News at 06:32
The Katter’s Australian Party will try to introduce new laws to ensure workplaces, schools, and universities can’t penalised people for using gender specific terms. State Leader Robbie Katter states he will introduce the He Said, She Said bill to State Parliament in September.

ABC Newcastle, Newcastle, 06:30 News at 06:31
NSW Katter’s Australian Party Leader Robbie Katter will introduce the He Said, She Said Bill to NSW Parliament in September, to ensure workplaces, schools and universities cannot penalise people from using gender-specific terms.

ABC Radio Brisbane, Brisbane, 06:00 News at 06:02
The Katter’s Australian Party will introduce new laws to ensure schools and workplaces can’t penalise people for using gender-specific terms. Bob Katter says he will introduce the ‘He Said She Said’ Bill in September in light of revelations some universities are marking down students for using gender-exclusive language.