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Fruit rots in north Qld while 20,000 live on Jobseeker
By EDITOR, CAIRNS NEWS
NORTH Queensland MP Bob Katter has sounded the alarm about a massive undersupply of fruit picking workers in his electorate, despite the fact that some 20,000 people in the same region are on the Jobseeker allowance.
Katter has called on the Minister for Agriculture and Acting Minister for Immigration to intervene immediately to help provide an estimated 15,000 farm jobs available in the Cairns hinterland region in a few weeks, during the peak season. Fruit on orchards in the region is already dropping off trees and rotting on the ground.
Katter says there are similar figures elsewhere in Queensland which is prompting the industry to question why their fruit is being left to rot when thousands of idle workers are receiving the dole.
“The Government’s response to Covid-19, whether good or bad, has left us with a serious lack of willing workers in north Queensland which is impacting industries that hold our communities together,” Mr Katter said.
“The Minister needs to explain why fruit is being left to rot on the ground in far north Queensland when there are 20,000 people in the area on Jobseeker allowance.”
Mr Katter has suggested a three-prong approach to alleviate the worker shortage problem:
- Abandoned, cyclone damaged, resorts to be renovated and used as quarantine hubs for incoming overseas workers.
- Remove the mandatory quarantine requirements for incoming workers from Samoa and Vanuatu, where there is no Covid-19 transmission.
- Nationalise the social welfare job allocations, which has been run disastrously since it was privatised.
“The privatisation of human services and job allocation has been disastrous for jobs because it means these people can get away with doing nothing whereas they couldn’t before. There’s no accountability now,” he says.
“Whether it is Mackay mining contractors, farmers in Tully, or Taxi drivers in Cairns or Townsville, the complaints are coming in from everywhere and the Government is left with no alternative – the Department of Human Services needs to be back under government control.”
Mr Katter has spoken to numerous farming organisations that have supported his call for intervention, particularly in lifting the restrictions on South Pacific Islander workers and the reignition of backpackers to fill the jobs.
“I’m told that the Pacific Islands are Covid-free, and north Queensland is Covid-free. So why are these workers being forced to quarantine here at the cost of the farmer?
“The farmers I have spoken to are simply asking for the restrictions on South Pacific Islanders to be lifted like with New Zealand which allows a reliable coming and going of the workers.
“Under normal circumstances, the backpackers comprise 50 per cent of the fruit pickers in north Queensland which is a region that produces 20 per cent of Australia’s fruit and vegetable supply. But due to border closures, the number of backpackers available is dwindling by the week.”
Contact: Hon Bob Katter MP, Federal Member for Kennedy
Canberra | Phone: 02 6277 4978 | Fax: 02 6277 8558 |
Mount Isa | Phone: 07 4743 3534 | Fax: 07 4743 0189 |
Innisfail | Phone: 07 4061 6066 | Fax: 07 4061 6566 | Freecall 1300 301 942|
Phone tracing app downloads dwindle to a halt
As the so-called Coronavirus infection rate markedly declines across Australia only half the required number of phone users have downloaded the much-heralded tracing app which is supposed to prevent more infections by using Bluetooth.
The only conclusion is that there are lots of fairies in the garden surrounding Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.
So far 5.1 million apps have been downloaded from a necessary 10 million out of a population of 25 million to make it effective.
It is doubtful any more significant numbers of downloads will add to the tally. There is always an exception to the distrustful sentiment of the public and that is a majority of dim-witted politicians who have stuck the app into their smartphones.
Not all politicians believe the rhetoric about the phone tracing app and its efficacy or safety
There is now no doubt they believe their own rhetoric.
Some notable politicians have refused to load it. Nationals Barnaby Joyce and independents Bob Katter and Andrew Wilkie have been around government far too long to trust intelligence agencies with their personal information.
IT experts have warned that the app data stored in Amazon data banks is open to scrutiny by US intelligence such as the NSA which can legally access data no matter where it is stored anywhere in the world and that Amazon data banks are known to “leak like a rusty rainwater tank.”
Don’t forget the ‘Five Eyes” intelligence alliance of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States which share all information.
Interestingly the Greens, with the exception of their intellectual pigmy Sarah Hanson-Young have refused to load the app along with One Nation senators Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts.
The take up rate has dwindled in line with the virus after a number of international virologists and biologists revealed the virus testing regime is almost useless hence inaccurate by showing false positives and false negatives.
In a similar scenario to AIDS testing which every doctor knows is wildly inaccurate, Virologist Dr Andrew Kaufman has exposed the flawed testing kits in his published video on Cairnsnews.
Another virologist Dr Judy Mikovits also exposes the testing flaws and she is backed up by the US Centre for Disease Control whose disclaimer on their test kits warns the test can pick up any infection, bacteria or cold and indicate it is Covid 19.
Hence the published high recovery rate of patients who most likely did not have one of the 36 sub-strains of Covid 19 in the first place.
So much for flattening the medical profession’s ‘J’ Curve.
Disclaimer: The download number of 5.1 million is published by government sources. It may or may not be correct.
Hughenden irrigation project, first leg of the iconic Bradfield scheme to water inland Queensland
THREE levels of Government congregated at Riverside Station outside of Hughenden today to unveil the foundation stone representing the future site of the Hughenden Irrigation Scheme, a federally funded project which will irrigate over 10,000 hectares of farmland.
KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter was flanked by State counterpart Robbie Katter, Assistant Minister for Roads Scott Buchholz, as well as economic mastermind Sir Leo Hielscher as they spoke to media and project stakeholders beside 100 hectares of irrigated pasture, a visual demonstration of what’s possible with the Hughenden Irrigation Project Corporation (HIPCo) on a bigger scale.
Bob Katter(right) helps unveil the long-awaited Hughenden irrigation project which will water 25,000 acres of rich black soil downs country
Mr Katter praised the HIPCo Board in his speech and said that the irrigation scheme will turn-around Hughenden and other western towns.
“This is a board that is made up of businessmen. They are doing the work themselves, they are owner operators and the worker operators as well. They are ordinary blokes doing something to ensure their survival.
“We will divide this area of 10,000 hectares up into 100 or so farms for people to graze and fatten cattle year-round and instead of running 7-8 ox to a hectare we run 20-30 to a hectare.
“Process is what bogs these projects down. If you can’t make a decision on a simple matter like a dam at Hughenden then you are not the Government of Australia.
“I don’t want to assume that the state government is hostile to these projects but if they get in our way then I will kick ‘em to death.
“In every single federal case where the government intervened in the past, the Franklin Dam case, in the Fraser Island case, in the case of Mabo, in all those cases the Federal Government won so it can be done.
“If you’re living in the mid-west towns, start making your preparations now because the water is coming. It is coming.”
Retired Sir Leo Hielscher AC who was Chairman of the Treasury Corporation for 22 years and is considered to be an “architect of the modern Queensland economy” flew from Brisbane attended the event and spoke of its importance to the Queensland region.
“Really I haven’t been out of retirement, I haven’t started that yet. But I have for many, many years had the old Bradfield Scheme modified in my sights. During my career I had a lot of things like that and I seemed to achieve most of them except this one and I see what we have seen today as the model for the big scheme that we are talking about.”
Robbie Katter said that having the likes of Sir Leo out to an event such as this lifts the spirits of the people and gives a great deal of credibility to the public.
“As a public servant, he is the one with the runs on the board and he has every right to be listened to by everyone else that has followed him.
“It is a great moment for the mid-weest. This is the tipping point now for opening up irrigation development and fight off drought and the floods and iron out the bumps in the cattle grazing industry.”
Robbie Katter said he would continue to advocate in the state government to manage any road blocks.
“We are the custodians of the land up here, he said.
“We set to look after and manage this land. We can do it better than anyone else in and I hope they appreciate that in helping us go forward” he said.
APRadio latest podcast
Harry introduces Len McGuire a contributing journalist for years with Harry on SOSNEWS now part of the APRadio team. Len discusses the ABC Islam agenda in north Queensland, the sweeping move of QLD voters away from the duopoly gathering momentum daily as ALP and LNP continue to self destruct while Bob Katter’s KAP take a considerable lead in the polls.
Rod Culleton speaks on how the High Court dismissed his affidavit before the case began due to Parliament privilege act paving the way for Rod, along with other recently dismissed members of parliament, able to call parliament to accountability under their own rules they attempted to hand to the High Court that clearly lies within the Australian parliament jurisdiction which Rod has been trying achieve since his illegal dismissal from the Senate.
Podcast link: http://www.australianpatriotradio.com/podcasts/apradio-podcast-18-august-2018/
RABOBANK manger alternative to farmers debt is suicide
Source: A Current Affair
Debbie Viney claims her bank manager told her he would “commit suicide” in her position –CLICK PICTURE to view A Current Affair video
Central Queensland cattle farmer Debbie Viney claims her bank manager told her he would take his own life if he were in her shoes, in the middle of one of the worst droughts in Australian history.
Ms Viney said she met Rabobank executive Peter Stevens at a farm show six years ago, where he told her he could give her a cheaper mortgage than the one she had.
She took him at his word and switched to Rabobank, a multinational bank that specialises in loans to farmers across the world.
Federal Queensland MP Bob Katter said Australia had “the most unprofessional, unrestricted free banking”.
He said mental health issues were a vital issue in rural Australia.
“There’s a farmer committing suicide every four days in this country,” he said.
Greens try to shout down Cairns croc meeting
The final round of crocodile management consultation meetings held in Cairns on Monday heard the Green rent-a-crowd of 20 hecklers and self- appointed crocodile experts howl down any sensible argument about removing dangerous reptiles from populated areas.
Local residents in favour of removing crocodiles were told by Katters Australia Party Member for Dalrymple Shane Knuth the reptiles would be removed or as a last resort, culled along the coastline between Mossman and Mackay.
Cairns Crocodile meeting chairman Cr Brett Olds and KAP Member for Dalrymple Shane Knuth were often shouted down by vocal Greens.
Tourist numbers had been impacted and visitors no longer felt safe visiting the Far North, he said.
The sensible element of older Cairns residents, one of them a fourth generation settler, backed their reduction in numbers and removal of all reptiles from Cairns waterways.
He said there were no crocodiles in most rivers and creeks or Cairns Inlet 50 years ago.
“Everywhere was safe to swim and my kids were always in a local creek swimming on weekends,” he said.
“Once we could put up to 100 skiers in the water, now we can’t go near the ocean.
“There are young people getting into trouble because they have nothing to do and nowhere to go yet once they were in the rivers and creeks burning up energy.
“Even the life savers fear for their lives if they go into the water at beaches.
“Now I fear for my 17 grandchildren if they go anywhere near water and we cannot swim in the Mulgrave River or Lake Placid anymore.”
Another resident warned how kayaks paddled by kids along the Mulgrave River resembled a crocodile to large males and there were incidents where crocs had menaced kayaks and canoes.
“They have lost their fear of man and something has to be done,” he said.
Self-proclaimed crocodile expert Greg Watson said people should be trained to keep away from water and savage crocs should be left alone in Cairns waterways.
Resident David White said lots of people came to the area to see crocs in the wild and there was a large tourist industry depending on it.
“The population is recovering from almost extinction, but I don’t want to see anyone hurt so we have to handle this logically and with science.
“There were two surveys where 75 per cent of people were against culling. We have to do more about controlling people in crocodile habitats.”
Mr Knuth assured the meeting there were no plans to remove or cull crocodiles from the Daintree River.
KAP candidate for the seat of Cook, Gordon Rasmussen said he believed consensus could be reached between those opposing croc removal from urban waterways and those who wanted them removed. Cook takes in all of Cape York and is home to tens of thousands of estuarine crocodiles
KAP candidate for Cook, Gordon Rasmussen said any safari hunting plans for indigenous communities would be in controlled areas north of Laura.
“We do not want crocodiles in Mossman, Port Douglas or Mareeba rivers and creeks and they must be removed, and I am sure we can find a consensus between those here opposed to and in favour of the legislation,” Mr Rasmussen said.
It appeared the Greens mob were showing more interest in attacking Bob Katter than engaging in any sensible solution with meeting chairman Cairns Councillor Brett Olds and speaker Shane Knuth.
Performing for the ABC, Win TV, Channel 7 and other reporters, an agitated deckhand from the Daintree engaged Mr Katter with an ‘in-your-face’ screaming effort but the seasoned politician of 50 years didn’t take the bait.
Daintree deckhand Damian Duffi tries to engage Bob Katter with an in-your-face screaming match performing for television cameras
Mr Katter walked away, further enraging the agitated deckie, Damian Duffi, by telling him he was “bored” with his illogical tirade.
The motley collection of about 20 vocal Greens, according to one supporter of the KAP plan, were mustered in a call on Facebook that morning, to “get as many as we can to the Katter crocodile meeting.”
“If this is the best they can do then we know we have the support of the majority of locals, not transient visitors from interstate,” Mr Katter said.
“”The three other meetings we held had many more attend than this meeting, and those people were 100 per cent in favour of removing the crocodiles.”
“The bill will be presented sometime this month,” Mr Knuth said.
Croc cull public meeting
To download the flyers click on your selection
phone: 40915861 – email: dairymple@parliament.qld.gov.au
KAP slams Govt croc management review in wake of latest attack, calls for real action
KAP Shane Knuth and Rob Katter – “We do not need a review – we know what the problem is and we demand action.”
The KAP has condemned reports this afternoon that the State Government will review new crocodile management plans following an attack on a snorkeller on Lizard Island yesterday.
The man was treated for minor cuts and abrasions to his head after the reptile, estimated to be up to two metres long, attacked him near Watson Creek Inlet.
ABC reported Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the incident was concerning and that maybe stricter measures were needed, although she’s ruled out culling.
KAP State Member for Dalrymple Shane Knuth said a review was the last thing Queenslanders needed.
“The time for talk is well and truly over; we need real action in the form of a controlled cull now to put a stop to the attacks, which seem to be multiplying by the day,” he said.
“We do not need a review – we know what the problem is and we demand action.”
State Member for Mt Isa Robbie Katter said the latest attack was the final straw.
“Human safety is paramount and the Government has now run out of chances to evade action; we need to activate a controlled cull as soon as possible,” he said.
The latest development comes just hours after reports of a beheaded crocodile near Innisfail, revealing locals may be taking steps to control crocodiles themselves because the Government is failing to act.
“People are saying this was bound to happen and it will continue if the Government doesn’t do something,” Mr Knuth said.
Following a well-supported consultation tour around north Queensland, the KAP will table legislation next month to allow for a controlled cull in populated areas across Queensland.
Under the legislation, Mr Knuth said crocodiles could be culled or relocated to a crocodile farm, and safari hunting and egg collection initiatives could be set up to create jobs for Indigenous rangers.
Katter’s bank bill opposed by Liberals and Nationals; Christensen to cross floor
The Liberals and Nationals are trying every devious trick in the book to stop this banking inquiry bill from getting passed in federal parliament. Renegade LNP Member for Dawson in Central Queensland, George Christensen, confirmed today he will cross the floor to support Bob Katter who has led the charge against the unlawful and unethical conduct of banks. Every small businessman and farmer in Australia will benefit from this inquiry.
The People of Australia’s Commission of Inquiry (Banking and Financial Services) Bill 2017
The bill provides for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry. The Bill invests the People of Australia’s’ Commission of Inquiry with the full powers of a Royal Commission as laid out in the Royal Commissions Act 1902. The Commission of Inquiry will inquire into unethical, unlawful and improper conduct in the banking, financial services and related sectors.
LNP Federal Member George Christensen will cross the floor of parliament to support Katter’s bill for a bank Commission of Inquiry
Bob Katter presents his bank bill today
The purpose of the Bill is to fully expose and shine the light of public scrutiny on the unethical and unlawful conduct/practices in the banking and financial services industries and to put forward recommendations for reform.
Particular concern has been raised in relation to the conduct of service providers in the banking, superannuation, insurance and other financial services sectors.
Responding to numerous media reports, whistleblower disclosures and cases raised with Members of Parliament and Senators, there have been 37 reviews and inquiries into banking and financial services since 2010. However, none of these past reviews/inquiries have had the level of powers of a Royal Commission. These past reviews/inquiries have often not been independent, have been politicised and have had limited scopes of inquiry. This has led to little, or no, reform to the sector, nor justice for the victims. Nor has this led to the spotlighting of the malpractices, shortcomings and injustices of current financial practices.
The Commission of Inquiry will have the full powers of the Royal Commissions Act 1902 plus additional powers related to protecting whistleblowers. The Commission of Inquiry will report to the Parliament, as opposed to a Royal Commission which reports to the Executive arm of Government.
Read the documents:
