‘Bring it on’: Katter throws down the challenge to Albo and Labor to win Kennedy
Far North Queensland holds the key to unlocking Labor’s plans to winning back key seats in the Sunshine State with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirming he won’t be afraid to take on longtime political ally Bob Katter at the upcoming Federal election.
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Far North Queensland holds the key to unlocking Labor’s plans to win back seats in the Sunshine State with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirming he won’t be afraid to take on longtime political ally Bob Katter at the upcoming federal election.
But the Member for Kennedy, whose electorate spans from the south of Cairns through to the Northern Territory border, has warned his old mate against challenging him, declaring: “I love a fight”.
Mr Albanese formally announced the ALP’s candidate for Leichhardt, Matt Smith, at the Cairns Show on Friday, four days after the Cairns Post broke the news of the former Cairns Taipans’ preselection.
With the Coalition yet to preselect its candidate for Leichhardt and incumbent Warren Entsch confirming that he will retire, Mr Albanese said the bellwether seat was now in play for the ALP.
“We see this as prime to change hands at the next election,” he said.
“The fact that there’s a retiring sitting Member and that Matt is such a strong candidate and will be such a strong advocate.
“He’s so well known in this community. It’s often very hard as a first-time candidate to be successful and get your name out there.”
The PM praised Mr Entsch for his support of same-sex marriage during his time as a Far North MP.
“He was a champion of some unpopular issues within his party, like marriage equality,” Mr Albanese said.
“He advocated very strongly for that and he’s someone I have respect for and has always shown me respect as a Minister and Prime Minister.”
In order to be competitive in the seat of Leichhardt at the last election, Labor matched every Coalition commitment, making hundreds of millions of dollars of promises while only shaving .73% off Mr Entsch’s hold on the electorate on a two-party preferred basis.
Asked if the neighbouring electorate was “winnable”, the Prime Minister said he was confident the maverick politician would have his work cut out for him when the election was finally called.
“Kennedy is a bigger challenge (than Leichhardt),” Mr Albanese said.
“Bob Katter has been there for a long period of time. If you combine state and Federal, he’s been there for 50 years.
“That’s a tough seat but we’ll have a strong candidate in Kennedy.”
Preparing to enter his 12th Federal election campaign, Mr Katter urged Labor to pick a worthy adversary, or risk being embarrassed by the seasoned septuagenarian
“Bring it on, mate,” Mr Katter, who will turn 80 next year, said in response to Mr Albanese’s comments.
“If there’s one thing I love, it’s a fight. He obviously likes a challenge but I’ve got news for Albo, so do I.”
At the 2022 Federal election, Labor’s Jason Brandon won just 16 per cent of the vote in the race for Kennedy.
“I wish Albo well. If we weren’t there, the ALP might stand a chance,” Mr Katter, who has held the conservative seat since 1993, said.
The veteran MP even referenced the American presidential race when asked if age would be an issue for him if he were to regain his seat.
“Have a look at (Donald) Trump and (US president Joe) Biden,” he said.
“You can be 80 years old like Biden, or 80 years young like Trump. I’ll leave it to your imagination which one I am.
“My best mate is still roping in rodeos at 83. You’re as old as you feel.”
Labor holds just five of the 30 Federal seats in Queensland. Mr Albanese announced Edwina Andrew as Labor’s candidate for Herbert on Thursday.
The Cairns Post requested an interview with the PM to discuss issues affecting Far North Queenslanders, including water security, flood recovery and the Cairns-PNG NRL bid but were told he was unavailable.
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Originally published as ‘Bring it on’: Katter throws down the challenge to Albo and Labor to win Kennedy
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