February 18, 2019
After visiting Julia Creek and Richmond last week with Robbie Katter and speaking to the people affected by the floods in the North West, Bob invited the Prime Minister to see for himself the situation on the ground.
On Friday he welcomed the Prime Minister to Julia Creek and Cloncurry in North West Queensland to see first-hand the devastation to the cattle industry and to visit and speak to locals about the hardships they now faced.
This devastating flood event in North West Qld, has now killed up to 500,000 cattle and left thousands of people without an income for years. In response to this - one of Australia’s worst farming disasters, on Monday Bob urged the Government to help out the farmers and Australia by taking on the Reserve Bank Amendment (Australian Reconstruction and Development Board) Bill 2019.
The Bill which Bob initially introduced in 2013 establishes an Australian Reconstruction and Development Board, enabling reconstruction of debilitating financial debts at the Government interest rate (currently 2.36%). It would also provide suitably tailored funds and capital arrangements that enable farmers’ sustainability and development of at-risk Australian agriculture, and its associated industries and infrastructures.
Australia has developed a highly-regarded capability to provide its own foods and to trade surplus produce for the sustenance of others and the prosperity of the Australian Nation. Rural Australia is struggling under an insurmountable debt burden and Bob has strongly urged the Federal Government that this crisis will dramatically worsen if the banks and the Government don’t adopt this proposal.
Bob and KAP won’t rest until rural Australia gets the support it needs and deserves!
Shane Paulger
KAP President