See what our Members of Parliament, Senator Fraser Anning, Honourable Bob Katter, Robbie Katter, Shane Knuth and Nick Dametto got up to this week.

Bob Katter, Federal Member for Kennedy

• From Mount Isa to Atherton and beyond ….Bob Katter has certainly been a busy man this week! His staff think it’s the best way to keep him out of trouble but let’s face it, Bob wouldn’t have it any other way – the man doesn’t have an ‘off switch’.
• Bob touched down in Mount Isa on Saturday morning and headed straight to a meeting with Luke Mandaran from the Mates Men’s Shed – the group is doing amazing work to help blokes achieve better health, wellbeing and lifestyle. There are some fabulous community groups in Mount Isa that are trying to make a difference and Bob’s keen to show his support, so the next stop was a meeting with Deb Woodward from Young People Ahead  (YPA). It’s no secret there’s concerns about the level of youth crime in town and Deb is working hard to help young people in Mount Isa build a better future for themselves by getting a job and preventing them from straying off track. An example of a simple yet important initiative that YPA does is get kids to go to school by picking them up in buses.  Deb told Bob “ I actually do have a waiting list and I really hate saying ‘no’ to any young person.”. Bob said “ if you didn’t pick them up on a bus then they wouldn’t go to school.” Deb “ no they wouldn’t go.” Bob “ so you need more buses.”. There’s more to come from Bob on this in coming weeks.
• A new business can be an exciting yet daunting venture especially when it’s a small business so Bob dropped in to encourage new owners Joe and Charmaine DiLegge of HjC Bicycle Engineering in Mount Isa. We have photo evidence that Bob tried out a bike but we’re not sure yet if he committed to buying it. We wish them every success.
• There’s so many great KAP supporters in Mount Isa so it was great for Bob and his team to catch up with them some of them on Saturday night and listen to their views. This didn’t mean a sleep-in on Sunday morning, Bob was up early for Church before celebrating NAIDOC week at a flag raising ceremony, at the Mount Isa Civic Centre where he also had the great privilege of being the keynote speaker.  This year the theme is ‘Because of her, we can!’ recognising  the invaluable contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
• After the morning’s formalities, it was time for Bob to get some dust on his new boots…so he scooted out to the campdraft to check out all the action and chew the fat with some locals.
• Monday morning and Bob was en route to the Tablelands, he stopped by to meet up with Margaret Schweiger who is the new President for Mareeba Rotary – congratulations.
• The bright lights of the Atherton Show soon caught Bob’s attention and he and Shane Knuth went to check out all the excitement. The pair couldn’t resist calling by to chat to Mick Hay at 4AM radio about all things local but also enjoyed chatting to the families who were out enjoying the school holidays. What a show!
• Make no mistake, Shane and Bob did do some serious business too. One of their meetings was with John Russell, the CEO of Community Services Tablelands, regarding funding for a purpose built premises in Atherton. Watch this space.
• Wednesday the KAP boys set off to attend some drop-in sessions in Mt Garnet, Ravenshoe and Herberton.  Where constituents had the opportunity to raise issues with Shane and Bob, there will be further town visits throughout the electorate in coming months. A big thanks to the CWA and community members who spoilt everyone on this trip with their hospitality. Vegetation Management, crime and broadband connections were some of the big topics raised at the drop in sessions.
• Not surprisingly Bob was in lockdown on Wednesday night to watch Queensland win Game 3 and send Billy Slater out on a winning note. You might have also seen an ad on Origin night with Bob and the KAP Federal Candidate for Leichhardt – ‘time to boot the major parties ‘.
• Bob ended the week with meetings in Brisbane but will attend the Innisfail show on Friday afternoon.
• At home in Charters Towers for the weekend, Bob and his team will have dinner with some of our great booth workers and supporters on Saturday night.

Nick Dametto, State Member for Hinchinbrook

• Visited Cardwell for his monthly meeting with constituents on Tuesday
• Listened to the Prime Minister’s speech on energy policy at the Queensland Media Club launch in Brisbane on Wednesday before cheering on the mighty Maroons to victory in State of Origin game 3 that night and;
• Will attend the Queensland Training Awards – North Queensland Regional Final in Townsville tonight.

Robbie Katter, State Member for Traeger

• Robbie took part this week in NAIDOC events in Mount Isa as part of the annual celebration with the theme, “Because of Her, We Can”. He gave a speech at the NAIDOC Elders lunch on Wednesday, followed by attending and speaking at the Gidgee Healing Seniors Luncheon, and he also attended the NAIDOC touch carnival on Friday.
• On Thursday, he had a busy day in Julia Creek meeting with constituents and community representatives on a wide range of issues. One of the matters discussed with locals at length was that retail power prices are hurting rural and regional businesses and farmers. Robbie has been investigating the impact these costs are having on businesses in his electorate in recent months and has this week called for the Queensland Labor Government to absorb the costs of adopting reforms outlined in the recently-released ACCC report on electricity pricing.
• On Thursday night, he had dinner with AUSIMM Scholarship students. The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AUSIMM) offers a scholarship program to support students in the mineral industry.  The Education Endowment Fund scholarship includes a one-week intensive field trip to a mineral-rich region of Australia, and this year AUSIMM brought their 16 scholarship winners from all over Australia to Mount Isa and Cloncurry.
• Robbie also met with various business owners in Mount Isa this week to identify and discuss issues they are facing.

• Visited the Malanda Show – caught up with locals and stalls, perused the contributions on display made by the community, and watched a performance or two in the show ring. Shane even won a dust pan from an entry in the Ambulance Committee Raffle – every year Shane enters, this is his first win!
• Took a stroll down Kurrimine Beach Markets – first time visiting.
• Attended sponsor day at the Tully Rugby League home game.
• Attended Meetings in the Atherton Hill Electorate Office.
• Attended scheduled town visits in Mt Garnet, Ravenshoe and Herberton hearing about issues from the community with Bob Katter. Shane looks forward to doing further town visits and meetings throughout the electorate over the coming months.
• Attended the Innisfail Show.
• Spent time strongly lobbying the Government to ensure road upgrade tenders are prioritised for locals who have an understanding of weather conditions in wet tropic regions – not the lowest quote or WA and southern companies.