Coalition going for zero… zero votes in coal seats – Bob Katter
KENNEDY MP, Bob Katter, says the Liberal and National parties better find a way out of a commitment on net zero emissions by 2050 or they will take huge pain at the forthcoming federal election, with five coal mining seats up for grabs in North Queensland.
“With fly in, fly out mining so prevalent these days even areas such as Cairns, the Atherton Tablelands, Ingham, and the Burdekin are coal areas,” Mr Katter said.
“Capricornia is super marginal, Leichhardt is super marginal, the sitting member is retiring in Flynn, and as for Dawson no-one knows what will happen there and even what George Christensen will do.
“If there’s a hung parliament, who knows what I will do. I could back Liberal, or I could back Labor. I’ll back whoever gives North Queenslanders the best deal. There is nowhere else in Australia where there are five seats up for grabs and it all comes down to how the major parties vote on net zero by 2050.
“My own union, the CFMEU, are the only ones who have been active in this field, fighting for coal and I hope we are going to take more initiatives soon. I cannot speak more highly of Michael Ravbar. Even though he is out of the Construction Division, he has been a great leader.”
Mr Katter said he personally believes adopting net zero by 2050 would be criminally insane as there are only three industries of significance in Queensland.
“We produce nothing in Queensland except the three C’s: coal, cane and cattle,” he said.
“Now the 2050 plan means the shutdown of those three industries. And if you want to stretch it to aluminium and copper they will be gone too. Coal and iron ore are worth $100bn each to the Australian economy. Close those down and Australia will be bankrupt.
“The other problem with net-zero is, we will be telling China and India that they can’t have any of our coal. Who do we think we are? We are a little enclave of Europeans living in Asia on the world’s greatest treasure trove of resources, and we are going to tell the two biggest populations they can’t have our coal. Are you completely mad?
Mr Katter said net-zero would not only cost the coalition seats in North Queensland but also in western New South Wales where the Shooters Fishers Farmers Party has formed a stronghold at a state level.
“The Nationals have lost North Queensland and western New South Wales, and if they keep going, they’ll have nothing left,” he said.
“There will be no National Party soon.”
– ENDS –
