King Katter plans to extend reign

He’s 74 this month but Bob Katter reckons he’s good for 12 more years in Kennedy.

Bob Katter at his Charters Towers home. Picture: Cameron Laird

Bob Katter has no plans to ­relinquish his quarter-century strangle­hold on the gigantic north Queensland electorate of Kennedy any time soon.

The former Nationals MP-turned-independent, who will be 74 this month, has held the seat for 26 years, improving his margin by 9 per cent in 2016.

Speaking to The Weekend Australian yesterday at his home in Charters Towers, 100km west of Townsville, Mr Katter laughed as he said he’d retire in “12 years”.

Asked whether that was a serious answer, he said: “I don’t know. In politics, you never say never.”

Mr Katter was coy when asked if he’d like his son, state MP for Traegar Robbie Katter, to succeed him as member for Kennedy, suggesting Hill MP Shane Knuth was a viable option.

“Katter’s Australian Party might as much be his (Knuth’s) as it is the Katters’,” he said. “We have built a very solid fortress up here.”

The party, founded in 2011, has just Mr Katter as a federal member but has three seats in the Queensland parliament after holding Traegar and Hill in 2017 and winning Hinchinbrook from the Liberal National Party.

Rejecting claims his age meant he was no longer an effective representative of the region, Mr Katter said the start of work on the long-awaited Hughenden weir and $2 billion in government support for farmers affected by recent flooding was proof that “the political skills are there”.

“This last three years, I have been infinitely more effective than I have ever been,” he said.

“Northwest Queensland is clearly doing better.”

Mr Katter, who wants to end the dominant two-party system, said he was “deeply disappointed” by the preference deal between Clive Palmer and the Coalition.

“I thought the coming of Palmer on the scene would be very beneficial and he (Mr Palmer) said, ‘I am here to deliver change’,” Mr Katter said. “Well he’s done just the opposite. He has used the votes that he will get to ensure the re-election of the Liberal Party.”

Mr Katter said the party had approached Mr Palmer about a preference deal but had not reached an agreement.

He said it would be damaging if Mr Palmer were elected to the Senate on the back of his self-funded $50 million campaign.