KENNEDY MP, Bob Katter, has welcomed the Federal Government’s $2b increase to the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF)[1] but said the money must be given to projects that will create new industries and jobs like the Copperstring Transmission line, rather than shiny new buildings in Townsville and Cairns.

“The NAIF has not performed,” Mr Katter said.

“I have not seen a single result from NAIF except two ‘political buildings’ in Townsville. I call them political buildings because they were backed to buy votes before an election. Outside of that I have not seen anything of significance.

“They did fund a renewables project. Those silly glass panels and windmills. Queensland has chopped down more trees than any other state in the last five years and they are doing it to produce money for land scams.”

Mr Katter said it was time to stop investing the money poorly and to instead fund nation building infrastructure like the Copperstring transmission line.

“The whole of the North West Minerals Province (Mount Isa and surrounds) is worth $8b a year to Queensland. It cannot keep going unless it has competitively priced power. It was ok when gas prices were $2 a unit but then they went to $16 a unit and blew us out of the water.

“If the Copperstring transmission line is built then we will go onto the national electricity grid and we will have competitively priced power.

This will cut the price of power to mines and refineries by 30 to 40 percent.[2]

Mr Katter called on the State Government to finalise the remaining regulatory approvals needed for Copperstring to go ahead.

“They need to provide the legal authorisation for Copperstring to go ahead,” he said.

“I am talking about taking national grid power out to the North West Minerals Province. This was initiated by Kevin Rudd when he was Prime Minister. At the present moment we are waiting on the State Government.

“The project sends out national grid power, but it brings back highly competitive alternate energy. Building windfarms along the Great Dividing Range from west of Ingham to west of Cairns is an act of foolishness. But building a windfarm at Hughenden makes good sense.
There is next to no birdlife, no rainforest, and it is very high up and has some of the highest wind velocities in Australia.”

[1] https://ntindependent.com.au/feds-kick-extra-2-billion-into-naif-ahead-of-federal-election/
[2] https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/copperstring-to-create-renewable-energy-and-hydrogen-powerhouse/news-story/2802e40d96aadc26721691503ef1b5bc