General News
12 February, 2025
Bring them on: Katter welcomes election fight
There are no confirmed rivals for the Kennedy MP, despite the election due in three months' time.
Veteran politician Bob Katter says he’ll take any challenger at this year’s federal election, despite having no confirmed contenders.
The Member for Kennedy will turn 80 in May this year, just two weeks after the last possible date for this year’s election, but says the thought of retirement has not crossed his mind.
“My retirement will be when I’m not breathing,” he said.
“I have no right to resign. I’m on the frontline with my rifle. How can I just walk off and leave everyone else in the trenches?
“I’m more than capable of fighting the fight. I’m not slowing down ... I’m a very valuable person in the trenches.”
Labor and the LNP have yet to declare candidates for Kennedy, even though most other seats in Queensland have candidates.
“I love a fight and I’d hate to win it unopposed, although I doubt that would be the case. I’ll take on anyone who steps up and challenges me,” Mr Katter said.
Senator Susan McDonald has been linked to a run for Kennedy, although appears unlikely to put her hand up for the LNP.
She has the number two spot on the LNP’s Senate ticket and that will shore up another lengthy term.
Speaking in her capacity as the patron for Kennedy, Senator McDonald said the LNP would soon have a candidate to take on Mr Katter.
“The recent floods in the north have underlined the importance of having strong, energetic 24/7 local representation at all levels of government,” she said.
“The LNP recently opened nominations for the seat of Kennedy along with four other seats in Queensland. That’s a matter of public record.
“Our decision to open nominations followed the October Queensland election where the Katter Party suffered an 11 per cent swing against them in Traeger.
“The LNP is well on the way to finalising its preselection for Kennedy to ensure local communities have a strong local voice in a Peter Dutton-led Coalition government committed to getting Australia back on track.
“In contrast, it appears Labor is yet to open nominations.”
A senior Labor representative said nominations had been declared open for the Kennedy candidacy.
“We’re hoping to have someone announced by the end of the month,” he said.
Mr Katter did not pull any punches when asked about the prospect of Senator McDonald running against him.
“I don’t know the lady. I wouldn’t have spoken 10 words to her in my life,” the MP said.
“I can’t comment about her, nor am I interested in her one way or the other.
“She claims to come from Cloncurry. Well, I lived in Cloncurry and I never saw her there.”
Mr Katter predicted a big swing towards the Coalition in the upcoming election and said a hung parliament would be the best result for the people of Kennedy.
“I’m just thinking that people are hurting and when they’re hurting they’re going to get rid of the government,” he said.
“In the state election it was quite obvious to me – and we got hit badly – all (voters) wanted to do was get rid of the government.
“Well, I don’t know that they’ve achieved anything.”
Asked about the potential of a hung parliament being a good result, the veteran MP said: “Absolutely. I mean you’ve got to understand – and I’ve said this to our state blokes – that you don’t want government.
“It means you’ve got to govern and trying to get on top of public servants is almost impossible.
“We can do much more with the balance of power.”
Mr Katter said he would be willing to work with the “teals” – independent MPs who have taken traditional Coalition seats in the cities.
“One of the teals, Monique Ryan, she’s done some very good work,” he said.
“They go on with crazy ideas but when they get in there and have to face reality land, some of them actually become human beings.”