Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Carenda Jenkins, in the Herbert River Express, says it all: 'The bats are smelling out the place in hot, steamy weather. Pigs and rats are chewing through millions of dollars of cane, whilst feral goats are destroying the natural habitat of an offshore island. For decades, North Queenslanders have suffered at the hands of these protected species and protected areas. What needs to change is the laws before any council or group can enforce measures to ensure animals and humans can live together. At the moment, nothing will change. Let's be frank: the government of today will not do a damn thing; nor will the government of tomorrow do anything either.'

'In 2012, a lychee farmer south of Ingham bowed out of the agricultural industry after spending $400,000 fighting conservationists for the right to protect his livelihood against flying foxes. They developed a non-lethal electric fence that deterred flying foxes with a mild shock that scared them away.'

The life of human beings—deadly Hendra, lyssavirus, SARS, leptospirosis all count for nothing beside the brutal law of the state and its green shirts. Bats are in areas and numbers never seen before. The way our government of today is going, our economic health, our mental health and our prosperity are at risk because the lives of humans are second to the lives of these intruders—disease-ridden aliens.

We have had the most dreadful death depicted on 60 Minutes. Neither this place nor the state parliament of Queensland give any benefit whatsoever to North Queensland. (Time expired)