‘Smack him in the mouth’: Bob Katter’s wildest words of 2023 (so far)

From guns, gators and greenies to smacking journos and unruly kiddie crims, larrikin MP Bob Katter has delivered some truly wild sound bites this year. Check out our favourites.

The great Australian wordsmith, Bob Katter, the honourable Federal Member for Kennedy, has built himself a reputation for wild phrases.

Intensely popular in his own electorate for his outspoken and unapologetic biblical ways, Mr Katter is often talking – but we don’t all have time to listen.

For your convenience, we’ve created a list of our favourite Bob Katter quotes so far this year.

Vote on your favourite down below.

January

While tearing apart the government for poor energy policies during the gas price crisis:
“I fear that the Member for Wannon has had a terrible fall off his horse on the Road to Damascus. I think it’s affected half his brain because he is one of the many that led the triumphant march to Net Zero by 2050 and yet they have not carried out a single act to achieve that goal.”

When pushing for a 200,000 sea-mine ‘fortress’ around Australia:

“We have been screaming for a 200,000-missile program for six years, and we haven’t been Robinson Crusoe.”

Bob Katter 2023

March

Arguing for more disaster resources during the 2023 Gulf floods:

“Our health services are bad enough for people in our regional cities like Townsville, but my blackfella cousins out there … well they’ve got no all-weather access in or out of their town.”

Joining a Sikh protest outside Parliament House to highlight genocide in India:

“I’ve been impressed with Sikhs, they come to Australia, and they become Australians. And I got so fascinated by that I took out books on the Sikh religion and discovered the Sikh religion is almost identical to Christianity.”

Bob Katter, Federal Member for Kennedy introduces Unlocking Regional Housing Bill during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

April

While on ABC program Q&A:

“For those who saw it on television, I went very close to king-hitting a journalist.”

Bob Katter 2023

May

Protesting against the 86-turbine Chalumbin wind farm on the Atherton Tablelands:

“I’m no greenie, but today I’m on their side.”

Arguing for relocation sentencing after his Mount Isa office was broken into:

“You want to leave the campsite – well you can. The cattle stations may have you for dinner, but then so may the crocodiles.”

Complaining about the Voice to Parliament:
“This is so the ‘we’ll look after you brigade’ can feel good about themselves. Well, we don’t want you looking after us. Give us the right to self-manage communities.”

An Instagram post of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Mount Isa with Bob Katter MP. Source: Instagram.

June

At the youth crime rally in Townsville:

“All of my life, if some cheeky little mongrel that was completely out of control said that to me, I would smack him in the mouth. And if he got up, I’d smack him in the mouth again.”

“To me there is no question parents must be given back the authority to belt their kids when they’ve done something wrong.”

Fighting against the completed phasing out of cheques by 2030:
“I will do everything humanly possible to resist tenaciously the abolition of cheques.”

On the Rix Hotel in Charters Towers winning three awards at the 2023 Queensland Hotel Association Awards:

“There’s a certain mentality that says you must go to a big city to make it big. I get profoundly depressed in a big city.”

Calling for an urgent reform of the Australian banking sector before the Economic Committee asked the big banks about “the promotion of economic dynamism, competition and business formation”:

“This is a couple of fancy and non-specific words. Seriously what are they investigating?”

Bob Katter 2023

July

Telling the Federal Health Minister to fix the GP shortage problem:

“It is your responsibility to provide essential services, no matter how inefficient, to the people.”

When moving a motion in parliament calling on the government to put superannuation into government-guaranteed Aussie projects, not the stock market:

“What the hell would some wokie, double-degree done-nothing out of Sydney University know about railways in Sweden?”

Bob Katter in press conference on the Cairns Esplanade.

August

When furious at UNESCO demanding protective action on the Great Barrier Reef:

“They are flagrantly breaching the sovereignty of this nation, if someone dares to take any land rights or sea rights off my country, then I’ll start reaching for my rifle, they are not going to invade my country.”

While protesting the possible 60-day dispensing policy for chemists, which Katter said would create a “big two” pharmacies:

“The short-term sugar hit out of this was supposed to help with the cost of living but anyone that thinks a short-term benefit offset by an oligopoly in the industry are so brainless that I hope they never express their opinion in public again.

Demanding more coal-fired power stations:

“There seems to a complete vacuum on intelligence in Canberra, but you’d expect that from a town that has legalised marijuana.”

Federal MP Bob Katter models the pro-coal vest he designed at the opening of a mine in regional Queensland.

September

Ripping apart the Qantas board – and outgoing CEO Alan Joyce:

“I regret that the administration that is just finishing was not seriously assailed by myself.”

While standing on the side of the Bruce Hwy, near Cardwell, where works continue for the construction of a cassowary crossing:

“Are you gonna tell me the cassowary is going to come out of there, walk up on a man-made pavement right up the sky, walk over, back down the other side? I mean, we are living in the land of imbeciles.”

Cast your vote in the poll below, and God Bless.

Originally published as ‘Smack him in the mouth’: Bob Katter’s wildest words of 2023 (so far)