MAVERICK Queensland MP Bob Katter has made good on his threat to shake up national politics with a new party and is vowing to strip votes off the major parties.
Mr Katter officially registered Katter's Australian Party with the Australian Electoral Commission in Brisbane on Friday afternoon, promising the new force would support families and businesses.

In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Mail, Mr Katter revealed his plan to "control" state politics through the crossbenches after the next election and immediately hit the campaign trail against Premier Anna Bligh and Liberal National Party leader Campbell Newman.

He also unveiled the party's first policies - including breaking the duopoly of Woolworths and Coles and stopping free trade, the carbon tax and privatisation.

It will also rally against "Big Brother" and restore personal freedoms, including fishing freely and boiling a billy without a permit.

.."The people are crying out for something different," Mr Katter said. "There are 20 to 30 per cent who refuse to vote for mainstream parties."

The party threatens to be the most significant new force since Pauline Hanson's One Nation won 11 seats at the 1998 poll and hurt the Nationals.

It is today calling for candidates for Queensland state and federal electorates, but has no set number to contest and wants to impose quality controls on candidates.

Mr Katter, a former Bjelke-Petersen cabinet minister, said a governing majority was the goal for later terms, with both Labor and LNP voters in his sights as he targets seats 10km outside Brisbane's CBD. In Canberra, the former Independent will now sit under his new party brand. Declaring the new paradigm under Independents a failure, the Kennedy MP said talks for federal candidates, including the Senate, were further progressed than his state plans.

"There are three federal seats outside of Queensland staring us in the face," he said.

As revealed by The Sunday Mail last month, Mr Katter has been plotting the party for months, including talking to several state MPs.

Mr Katter yesterday described the discussions with "one or two" state MPs as formal, saying he was open to talks with Independents or The Queensland Party.

He said his party was different to One Nation, but confessed worry about forces conspiring against him to put him in jail like Ms Hanson.

"The last two people who tried this, they threw them both in jail," he said.

Under the party's principles, members can speak and vote with their electorates, including on daylight saving, except for the narrow band of party policies. "If they don't vote against Coles and Woolies, they will get their bloody toes cut off with a rusty razor blade," he said.

But the party has little financial support and wants smaller grassroots donors and help from recreational groups and the dairy and sugar industries.

Mr Katter has linked with the Electrical Trades Union in Victoria and hoped to replicate that locally, where he claims Labor is planning to next sell state power companies.

Based in Brisbane offices owned by his son-in-law and gun dealer Rob Nioa, the party includes former Nationals figure Rowell Walton as president and former Liberal general secretary Matthew Rowe.The Hat versus The Pineapple. Read the interview at Patrick Lion's Pineapple Politics Blog at thesundaymail.com.au

MAKING A STAND: Katter's key policies

Stop the stranglehold of Coles and Woolworths on groceries

Cut individual chains' market share to 22.5 per cent each instead of current 80 per cent total share.

This would ensure greater competition and push down prices.

Supermarket fairness tribunal to prevent misuse of market share.

No privatisation

Prevent any further sell-offs of assets but also implement strategies to reverse some past and current assets.

No carbon tax

Stop the measure and focus on renewable energies such as ethanol.

Stop free trade

Protect Australian industries and jobs to revitalise industries such as agriculture and manufacturing.

New laws to make Parliament approve treaties, not just the Government.

All Government spending should be on Australian goods where practicable. eg cars

oh gawd here we go again......another frustrated. pollie just what we need.

I'm glad to see it, its becoming a trend. I just hope all the politician supporting protectionism join together.

freediver wrote on Jun 5^th, 2011 at 10:35am:


Its all about giving the choice back to voters.
I go to the election both and forced too choose 'the lesser of two evils' because no one represents me and my views.

cods wrote on Jun 5^th, 2011 at 11:31am:


Too many chinks, sand black people and jigaboos getting through for you, eh? 

You always whimnge about cost of living pressures, and Coles and Woolies are taking abigger cut than teh dreaded carbon tax will, but you only whinge on cue when the dog whisltes get blown. You hypocritical old slag.

matty wrote on Jun 5^th, 2011 at 11:43am:



What makes you so sure of that!?

Is it not equally likely that many local communities will be excited by the opportunity for greater self-empowerment and political influence at the national level - including focus on addressing local issues of infrastructure deficits and socio-economic disadvantage - as has been delivered by the example of those Independents who enabled the formation of the current minority federal govt!?

Heck, there's even a fairly good chance that the existing independents will be returned to office!

Equitist wrote on Jun 5^th, 2011 at 12:00pm:


There were only four "independents", Tony Windsor, Andrew Wilkie, Rob Oakeshott and Bob Katter. Now there are three. Tony Crook is a WA National, and Adam Bandt a Green. They won't be re-elected. IMO, Wilson Tuckey or a new Lib wll win back the seat. The Libs won't give preferences to Badnt next election.

Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott have betrayed their electorates, and will not be re-elected. The voters demonstrated that in Port Macquarie and Tamworth. Both independents (who lose their seats) received hndreds of calls saying that people who voted for the independents at the Federal election felt betrayed, and from now on, would only ever vote for the Nats, in the state and federally.

matty wrote on Jun 5^th, 2011 at 12:08pm:



I admire your confidence, if not your 'logic'!