Newsroom

October 27, 2021

Katter’s Australian Party has pledged to inject genuine democracy and debate back into the Queensland Parliament, which has descended into “Operation Boring” according to KAP Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter.

Mr Katter said he gave the Palaszczuk Labor Government a “D-” and the Opposition an “F” for their legislative efforts in 2021.

He said rural and regional MPs were sick of travelling down to Brisbane for sitting weeks to do “basically nothing”.

“We have more interesting and worthwhile discussions down at our local pubs,” the Traeger MP said.

Mr Katter said the minor party, which has three sitting MPs and 1.5FTE parliamentary staffers, had now committed to introducing a minimum of five pieces of legislation into the House each year.

This year, the Party has already introduced three: the Environmental and Other Legislation (Reversal of Great Barrier Reef Protection Measures) Amendment Bill 2021, the Working with Children (Indigenous Communities) Amendment Bill and the Food (Labelling of Seafood) Amendment Bill 2021. There are also another couple in the works.

“Politicians need to work for their supper,” the Traeger MP said.

“Sitting hours have been cut back, we have less and less speaking spots and time for genuine debate and there’s also hardly any legislation – let alone decent legislation – on the agenda.

“But now the KAP is committing to lift the game and counteract that – we want to deliver more for not only our own electorates in the North, but for the whole State.”

Despite having approximately 220 Parliamentary/Ministerial staff, Labor has introduced just 20 Bills into the Parliament this year.

The LNP, which has about 10 per cent of the Government figure in terms of staff, has introduced zero.

Mr Katter said taxpayers were footing the bill for all these staffers, and there was no way they were getting ‘bang for buck’.

“The KAP was vehemently opposed to the introduction of four-year parliamentary terms because we said if the Government can’t succeed in fulfilling their agenda in three years, then they don’t deserve another one,” he said.

“We have been vindicated now by the (lack of) activity of the last 12 months, we are all losing out because we now have to witness a non-performing Government have free reign for four full years every term.”

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said the LNP’s recent legislative record had been dismal.

“Queenslanders are looking for an alternative government and they are looking for an opportunity to decide who to back at the next State Election,” he said.

“The fact is, unless you’re showing people what you’re willing to put in from the Opposition or the Crossbench, how can you prove what you would be like if given the power?

“This is a call-out to the LNP – we are calling on the Opposition to start lifting their weight.

“What we’re seeing now is a lazy Opposition and it’s letting this Government get away with putting 20 Bills in a year when the average is 40-50.”

Hill MP Shane Knuth said the KAP had a proven track-record of successfully pushing legislation through the Parliament that benefitted rural and regional communities.

The KAP and the Greens both introduced an additional Private Member’s Bill each today. The Government also introduced a new Bill.