Bob Katter : Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

It is very disappointing that the Member for Leichhardt and the Member for Cook are making a noise (only) now about the Aboriginal housing. I just cannot help but use the word that comes to my mind here (whilst I’m not calling them hypocrites) ‘hypocrisy ‘is the word that leaps to my mind. When I was screaming before the framing of the budget, I got no support from the Member for Leichhardt nor the Member for Cook and they could not have ‘not known’ about it. I made sure that they knew about it because I was screaming loud and long. And, they did nothing. Yet Senator Nigel Scullion in the NT managed to look after his backyard and got $550 million in the Federal budget for Aboriginal housing.

Now the net result of not spending money on this much needed housing is that we will continue with a situation where the average occupancy is 12 or 15 people per house – in a house which is built for a maximum of five people. There is one bathroom in a house of 15 people. It is almost impossible to live in a house of 15 people and so the house quickly reduces to primitive, third world conditions.

The program which came in the 80s from Greg Wallace, Hope Vale; Eric Law, Cherbourg; Lester Rosendale,  Hope Vale; most of all Gerhardt Pearson (Noel’s brother) Hope Vale; Donnie Frazer, Doomadgee. All houses were being built by exclusively local, Indigenous labour resulting in massive savings, no fly-in costs, no living away from home, no accommodation and food costs. They were built with work- for- the dole labour which halved the labour costs and the concrete blocks met besser specifications and were built at eight factories in community towns.

We will put up a proposal in conjunction with the combined community Councils for an allocation of $25 million a year. If we can get agreement to the arrangements that prevailed during the 80s, then we can restore the benefits and a housing program to communities who will not be able to restore the 400 jobs that will be lost to Cairns with the closure of the Community House Building program. Through Dan McCarthy (KAP candidate for Leichhardt) we will be liaising with the Cape area Councils on two issues: title deeds legislation and on the housing.

 God bless you all,

 Hon Bob Katter MP
Federal Member for Kennedy