KATTER’S Australian Party has an ultimatum for the minority Queensland government: meet our demands for the bush or we’ll withdraw support.
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KAP state leader Rob Katter says the Labor government has failed to deliver on more than two dozen policy wishes that his party put forward in February.
He’s given the Palaszczuk government 90 days to show action on key goals, which include mandatory 10 per cent ethanol in fuel, and jobs creation, or face losing the support of KAP’s two MPs in parliament.
‘‘If at this point the current government continued to refuse to deliver what we needed, we would have no other option but to actively pursue an alternative if the opportunity was presented to us,’’ Mr Katter said in a statement on Sunday.
He stressed the party had not lost confidence in the government.
‘‘However, we’ll not go through (the) entire 55th parliament and not deliver for the people of Queensland,’’ he said.
Withdrawal of KAP’s support would not result in a change of government because Labor still has independent MPs Peter Wellington and Billy Gordon onside.
However, the Palaszczuk government would be forced to rely on the support of Mr Gordon, who left the party under a cloud, to pass bills.
Ms Palaszczuk said she had a constructive relationship with KAP and Mr Katter hadn’t raised any problems when the pair recently met for coffee during the Mount Isa Rodeo.
Ms Palaszczuk said she had received no letter from Mr Katter, but had received a request for a meeting.
There is no written agreement of support between Labor and Katter’s Australian Party, Ms Palaszczuk said.
The Premier said Mr Katter had not expressed a ‘‘rising mood of disappointment’’ with her government.
‘‘No, not at all,’’ she said.
Ms Palasazczuk said the views of Mr Katter and Shane Knuth – the two Katter’s Australia Party MPs in Queensland’s Parliament – were ‘‘a matter for them.’’
‘‘We will continue to meet with them and discuss the issues and – like I said – those issues must be in the best interests of Queensland,’’ she said.
Queensland Parliament resumes on Tuesday this week for Estimates Hearings which run until August 28.
Mt Isa MP Rob Katter did not immediately return phone calls from Fairfax Media on the issue, though Mr Katter has one of Queensland largest electorates and mobile phone reception is poor.
