18 Oct KATTER CHALLENGES CANDIDATES ON MIM BILL

As Mount Isa stands on the brink of the looming closure of the copper mine and the 1,200 jobs at stake, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Member for Traeger, Robbie Katter, is turning up the heat calling out the candidates for the Brisbane-based major parties, demanding they reveal their stance on the KAP’s Mount Isa Mining (MIM) Bill.

The KAP had been at the forefront from day one, pushing for legislation that would keep Mount Isa Mines operational to preserve Queenslanders’ jobs and secure the future of the North West Minerals Province.

Yet, while recent comments from major party leaders had been very positive, Mr Katter was pressing those candidates to go beyond rhetoric and either support or oppose the proposed bill.

“Anything short of this is not going to save these jobs.

“Mount Isa deserves to know if they are playing to win or just going to fold to a multinational who has operated with impunity.

“The KAP’s position has been clear – we won’t tolerate multinational corporations, such as Glencore, using Mount Isa as an extension of their commodity empire while disregarding the community’s needs,” Mr Katter said.

Copper has been declared a mineral critical to the ‘Made in Australia’ platform of the Federal Government, and is experiencing a boom, with prices at recent record prices over $10,000 US per ton. To achieve the decarbonisation goals set by Brisbane, Canberra, and the UN, more copper will have to be mined in the next 25 years, than has ever been mined in the history of humanity.

As the clock ticks, Mr Katter and the KAP will keep pushing forward, unafraid to challenge those who put corporate interests above Queensland families.

“This is the only real solution to saving this mine and these jobs and the Brisbane-based candidates need to make it crystal clear to voters whether they support this Bill, or not so voters can make the most informed decision on who they want to lead them into future when they go to the ballot box.”

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