Maverick MP snaps against anti-Australian sentiment

“If you have an Australian flag up, you get called a racist.” Maverick MP Bob Katter has picked a fight against a pub giant that’s turned its nose up at Australia Day, while seeking more recognition for First Nations.

Maverick MP Bob Katter has warned of boycotts against a pub giant which he criticised as making decisions against the nation’s interests for not celebrating Australia Day on January 26.

The outspoken MP said those who publicly displayed pride in their country seemed to be under attack in the public eye.

The country’s second biggest hospitality group Australian Venue Co made headlines after it was revealed last weekend that it would ban its venues from celebrating the day.

This included three venues in Townsville, where Mr Katter spoke to this masthead about his concerns.

“I was at Melbourne airport late last week and a bloke confronted me,” Mr Katter told this masthead, while visiting the Townsville RSL Club to present awards he created to those he classed ‘good Australians’.

“Because I assert Australian values, we now get called racist, if you have an Australian flag up, you get called racist.”

Federal MP Bob Katter criticises the pubs that considering closing during Australia Day celebrations while speaking in Townsville. Picture: Chris Burns

Mr Katter laughed, but then his mood quickly shifted, staring straight into the camera as he called for the CEO behind the decision to be sacked.

“If you don’t want to be a part of this country, for heaven’s sake, get out.

“And I think the government should start pressuring these people to leave this country.

“For those that rejoice in being Australian, we’re going to assert it, and these hotels that are un-Australian, we will organise boycotts and demonstrations in front of those hotels.

“So Mr Board Member, you tell your CEO he’s un-Australian and he should be sacked.”

Mr Katter said he loved the immigrants throughout the decades who were embracing Australian values, noting the city of Ingham, with strong Italian roots, is “the most Australian town in Australia.”

When asked his views on ‘Survival Day’ a growing indigenous Australian movement that marks January 26 as a solemn day of remembrance for the lives lost during Australia’s colonisation, Mr Katter said, “I am very strong that we black fellas have a day.”

Mr Katter labelled himself as Kalkadoon, believing he can claim to do so, and celebrated the strength and resilience of the tribes in North West Queensland, where he grew up.

He also believed more recognition was needed to honour the tribal leaders in his region that had strongly fought to protect their tribes’ sovereignty when Europeans first arrived.

Mr Katter’s father Bob Katter Snr was a Lebanese immigrant who had enormous influence in Cloncurry’s business and political community, and was known for removing segregated seating at the theatre he owned.

And while Mr Katter voted no in the Voice referendum last year, he had pointed out that he had threatened to “king-hit” a journalist behind closed doors and reduced a public servant to tears, over his passion to improve First Nation communities’ living quality.

Mr Katter is not the only politician in his electorate protective of Australia Day.

At the start of the year Richmond Shire’s mayor John Wharton denied an invasion, and while he believed there were bigger issues than changing the date, criticised agendas he believed were southern city-centric and out of touch.

“And I can tell you now the time that gets wasted worrying about these little fickle people that live in Bondi or somewhere else in the middle of Melbourne that have never ever been around Australia and seen the issues, it’s driving the rest of us mad,” Mr Wharton said.

Originally published as Maverick MP snaps against anti-Australian sentiment