By Staff Writers
Renegade Elder of the Australian Parliament, independent Bob Katter has unleashed on the Labor and Greens’ overt attempt to disarm law-abiding gun owners.
Unbridled Islamic immigration was also targeted by Katter.
“The issue here isn’t weapons or weapons imports… it’s the mass imports of people that come in, apparently unvetted, from countries with no similarity or cohesion with Australia,” charged Katter.
“I have an unapologetic policy of no migration without assimilation. Those seeking to come to Australia must be asked plainly whether they come from democratic societies with respect for religious freedom – ideally with similar values to Christianity.
“Failure to enforce assimilation has resulted in the growth of radical enclaves, imported conflicts, antisemitic hatred, and the erosion of national unity, conditions that no amount of speech control legislation can fix.
“This (Hate Speech) Bill places enormous faith in government bodies that have demonstrably failed.
“ASIO and related agencies have repeatedly missed warning signs of extremism.”
In 2008, when Australia’s migration intake was approximately 117,000 annually the Immigration Department could cope with a “sensible intake of migrants.”
“When the Bondi terrorist was originally allowed into this country, ASIO conducted around 72,000 visa security assessments.
“Today, with migration exceeding 568,000 per year, the public is asked to believe security scrutiny has somehow become more effective. Australians do not share that faith.”
Mr Katter rejected the assertion implicit in this Bill that further restrictions on lawful firearms ownership would prevent terrorism or mass violence.
“The Bondi massacre was not caused by the existence of a firearm. It could just as readily have been committed using a vehicle or a knife,” he stressed.
Australia’s licensed firearms owners have complied with some of the strictest gun laws in the democratic world for over 30 years.
They submit to background checks, storage inspections, licence renewals, and restrictions unknown in most comparable nations.
“To further restrict these Australians, while ignoring intelligence failures, migration policy failures, and licensing breakdowns, is unfair, ineffective, and profoundly un-Australian.”
Bob Katter an enigma
Since his debut in conservative politics 51 years ago under the tutelage of Country Party maestro and Labor nemesis Sir Joh Bjelke Petersen, Cloncurry-born Katter emerged as a champion for the underdog in regional Australia.
Even today everybody wants a piece of Bob and he has been everywhere espousing the policies of ‘Black Jack’ John McEwen, Country Party leader and Trade Minister (1949–1971).
Katter championed “McEwenism,” a policy of high tariffs and protectionist measures to support Australian manufacturing. Does this seem like Donald Tump’s successful trade policy operating in the US today?
Despite representing rural interests, he argued that protecting secondary industries was essential for national development, population growth, and defense, fostering a strong domestic market for farmers.
Bob Katter has never been defeated in a state or federal election due to his hands on approach with every day people with whom he relates often in an extraordinary manner talking about everyday issues and becoming enmeshed in the lives of ordinary people.
Since the advent of smart phones Bob has found it difficult to walk down a street from Cairns to Sydney or across the Nullabor to Perth. Endless ‘selfies’ taken by locals and tourists featuring the trademark ‘hat’ have engendered the tag ‘never on time Bob.’
Now aged over 80, Katter, one would imagine. is looking forward to retirement with his large family and numerous grandchildren.
“Not likely,” he said. “I’ll probably die on the job.”
