Katters growing membership support base among claims of being region’s LNP opposition

Katter’s Australian Party claims its support base is surging in the aftermath of Labor’s state election drubbing, and it’s a shift in dynamic that could have major implications for both parties in regional Queensland.

Leader of the Katter Australia Party Robbie Katter flanked by party colleagues Shane Knuth (L) and Nick Dametto. Picture: NewsWire / Glen Campbell

Labor risks being consigned to history in regional Queensland, with its election drubbing allowing Katter’s Australian Party – which Steven Miles labels the “de facto National Party” – to grow across the state’s north.

Insiders within the North Queensland-based party say it has experienced a “significant increase” in membership since the state election, but have refused to provide detail of the growth.

KAP is now shaping as the alternative opposition in regional Queensland with Labor MPs holding only three scattered seats in Bundaberg, Cairns, and Gladstone.

It's the same number of seats held by KAPs Robbie Katter, Nick Dametto and Shane Knuth, who have lobbied on crocodile culling, resolving 1200 Glencore job losses in Mount Isa, improved road and rail infrastructure, and more controversially, pushing for a Minister for Men within the Queensland Cabinet.

After the party held its annual general meeting last weekend, KAP representatives claimed their support had grown, although would not say by how much.

Labor’s leaders insist they have not given up on regional Queensland with deputy Cameron Dick spending Australia Day in Townsville, instead of attending citizenship ceremonies within his own Woodridge electorate.

Queensland Opposition Leader Steven Miles and Deputy Cameron Dick. Picture Glenn Hampson

Opposition Leader Steven Miles rejected claims the former government had been replaced by KAP as North Queensland’s opposition to the government.

“The Katters have become the de facto National Party in Queensland,” he said.

“They do a good job of representing those areas that were historically National Party in those seats, which admittedly we lost in those regional cities.

“They were still largely contests between Labor and the LNP and we intend to keep it that way.”

Bundaberg MP Tom Smith, who miraculously survived a nine-vote margin in 2020 to now hold the seat by three per cent amid a widespread swing against Labor, said each region was differences.

Mr Smith said it was now up to his party to listen to the diverse areas of Queensland.

Within two weeks of Labor’s defeat Mr Dick and Mr Miles both visited Townsville to listen to voters’ dissatisfaction.

Bundaberg Labor MP Tom Smith says each region has its own “accent”, and that he will be listening to his while in opposition.

“There’s a social accent difference in terms of how people are talking in Townsville is different to how they talk in Cairns, different to how they talk in Bundy,” Mr Smith said.

“I’d like to think of myself as being a strong voice for regional people here in my part of the world.”

KAP Leader Robbie Katter said the party had long felt it was the true opposition against the government of the day, claiming both major parties were similar when it came to regional issues.

KAP Robbie Katter says it would be fair to describe his party as a more traditional National Party as it had been decades previous. Photo: Joanna Giemza-Meehan

Mr Katter said the only point of difference between the two major parties were their stances on unions, and that their debates instead were focused on personalities.

He said this meant KAP parliamentarians felt “obligated” to champion issues that matter to primary producers on behalf of the regions and was satisfied with being compared to the traditional National Party as it had been 20 years previous.

“I’d say that’s a pretty fair, accurate description of us,” Mr Katter said.

Hinchinbrook MP and KAP Deputy Leader Nick Dametto says the party will not oppose the government for the sake of it.

KAP Deputy Leader Nick Dametto was the opposing parliamentarian in the Townsville region against three LNP MPs, which was the same position as he had been when Labor held the same electorates in the previous term.

Mr Dametto said – unlike Labor – the party would not default to criticising the government.

“A true opposition just calls the government out and everything they do bad, because it’s not their idea,” Mr Dametto said.

Originally published as Katters growing membership support base among claims of being region’s LNP opposition