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

Canberra and the Northern Territory each have two senators. We are proposing this, which was first proposed by the Prime Minister. I don't deny his goodwill in attempting to recognise First Australians in this parliament. But this proposal would be far more useful to my cousin brothers who live in the fair dinkum First Australian community areas.

The Northern Territory has two senators, and Canberra gets two senators. Both of them got those two senators when they had under 100,000 people in their populations. We've got 100,000 people in the First Australian communities. Why can't we get a senator?

In Canada, they give a special member of parliament to a geographically isolated area, Nunatsiaq. In Great Britain they give a special member of parliament to a geographically isolated area. Neither of them has a population much at all. But here in Australia we all know who's going to occupy the position. It'll be someone about as dark as I am, and he'll have two university degrees from Sydney university. In the meantime, the people that have a life expectancy—and I keep saying that it's hard to think that there is not a racial twist in this. Why would you never, ever report— (Time expired)