Bob Katter (Kennedy, Katter's Australian Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in praise of Andrew Forrest, who has the only big mining company left that is still in an Australian hands. To his credit, he could have sold out for his fortune somewhere along the line. He is very patriotic. He went to a school that was predominantly First Australian. I went to a school that was about 40 per cent First Australian. You can't go to school with kids and play football with them and not end up with them being your mates. I have not the slightest doubt about his sincerity on this issue. A very controversial issue, it's brought him a lot of criticism, but he believes in it. He's the only employer in Australia that I know that employs 600 people of First Australian descent. One of my townsmen went to boarding school in Charters Towers, like myself. He was a boss at Fortescue, a CEO, so I know the intimate workings of Fortescue, quite apart from any friendship I might have, big or little, with Andrew Forrest. They're the only organisation in this country that has a cadre of people—I think there were six in the group—who, if people don't turn up for work, go around, nurse them, do everything humanly possible to keep them at work. It's not just a matter of giving them the jobs; they give them the backup to keep the jobs. When I worked at Mount Isa Mines, I think there were three First Australians on my 12-man gang. I was just an unskilled labourer there. The boss of the lead smelter, Charlie Ah Wing, was one of the pallbearer's at my father's funeral. Charlie was the big boss there, and he was First Australian, very proudly Kalkatungu.

Having said all of those things, if I were on the ALP side, I really would not be throwing stones. They were there for six straight years. Up until two years ago, they were the government of Australia.

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