Newsroom

June 6, 2024

You can’t make this stuff up – 800 jobs are at the ready, and 1200 jobs are getting axed – all on the watch of the so-called ‘local’ Labor members in Townsville! The Katter’s Australian Party leader and member for Traeger, Robbie Katter said.

Standing in Townsville with the KAP’s candidate for Townsville, Margie Ryder, and candidate Michael Pugh, Mr Katter lambasted Scott Stewart, Les Walker, and Aaron Harper for being asleep at the wheel, gagged by the Brisbane party machine.

“It’s simply nonsensical that the Labor members in and around Townsville can sit silent while their own government stalls a process that would deliver 800 vital Townsville jobs,” Mr Katter said.

“What sort of MPs are they?

“Despite being granted coordinated project status, Queensland Pacific Metals (QPM) are still desperate for tangible state government support to get started on their much-lauded TECH Project off the ground, which would be housed at the Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub.

“The government is hell bent on spending up big in the south east on Olympics and tunnels. What have the Labor members in Townsville done as ‘local’ members to make sure that vital projects like QPM get off the ground?  Nothing that I’ve seen!

“If Townsville and the surrounding areas are serviced so well by Brisbane’s parties, why would this be allowed to fall through the cracks?

“North Queensland jobs obviously don’t rate a mention for the Brisbane parties” Mr Katter said.

KAP Candidate for Townsville, Margie Ryder said she was first sold on the QPM project and the benefit to Townsville and surrounds during her time serving as a city councillor.

“It’s not everyday that a company comes to the district wanting to manufacture high-tech batteries, bringing with it almost a thousand jobs,” she said.

“I was strongly in favour of the project during my time on council and I remain a strong supporter!” she said.

“The flow on effect to Townsville will be a breath of fresh air – we just need the government to pull their finger out and give the project the green light, not just more rounds of ‘talks’!” Mr Pugh said.

“The time for talking has gone, and Townsville can’t wait a day longer,” he said.

KAP leader drew further correlation to the devastating announcement from Glencore that they will be closing their copper mining operations at Mount Isa in 2025.

“Scott Stewart is supposedly the resources minister, but when it comes to keeping up Queensland’s part of the bargain for Australia’s critical minerals boom, he’s all too willing to let the Swiss commodity trader Glencore offshore 1200 jobs,” Mr Katter said.

“I’ve tried to do him a solid and put in a bill to parliament that means Glencore, or any other multinational cannot simply sit on Mount Isa’s resources, but to date I haven’t heard anything from him about it.

“The KAP, based in North Queensland, for North Queensland, are calling time on Brisbane dictating to the puppets they have in North Queensland seats.

“That’s why the KAP are offering the people of Townsville real alternatives; Margie Ryder, Michael Pugh, and soon a Candidate for Thuringowa.  Candidates who are community stalwarts, businesspeople, and fierce advocates for Townsville and beyond,” the KAP leader said.