The media claimed there were clashes between Robbie Katter and demonstrators outside the Parliament this week on the eve of International Working Women’s Day. It didn’t amount to much. Queensland MPs Robbie Katter and Nick Dametto printed up ‘Condemn Hamas’ signs and came out to confront Greens parliamentarian, Michael Berkman, and Greens leader, Adam Bandt, who was visiting Brisbane. Ironically, Michael Berkman had just condemned Hamas in his speech and demanded that they release ‘ the hostages ‘.
Dametto had aggressively swanned through crowd on the footpath returned to his office with a printed condemn Hamas A3 sign only to have it confiscated by one of the Palestinian activists.
For many years, there has been an epidemic of rheumatic fever in ‘Katter’country in the Gulf. In 2020 Adele Sandy’s mother tried to get help from her local member, Robbie Katter. She asked the Royal Doctor Flying service to organise transport so that her daughter could get proper treatment from a cardiac specialist.
To no avail.
Here is what Adam Bandt, the leader of the Greens, had to say about the situation when he was interrupted by the shenanigans of the Katter Party holding up their placards ‘Condemn Hamas’
The director of nursing at the Doomadgee hospital turned the gravely ill woman away. She died. In my interview with Robbie Katter, he was sympathetic but said he could do nothing to get the Royal Flying doctor to provide transport. He told me he could see the RFD planes sitting idle on the tarmac at Mt Isa while this emergency was unfolding.
“I interviewed the local member for Traeger, Robbie Katter, for his response to the allegations made by Alec Doomadgee about failure of duty of care by Queensland Health. Robbie Katter says that community leader Alec Doomadgee is someone that he listens to because of his connection with the local community. Robbie Katter critised those in government who speak ‘from afar‘ and who do not follow up their words ‘with deeds‘.” – The Adele Effect on 4PR voice of the people.
The Royal Flying Doctor service originates from Cloncurry which I’d Robbie Katter’s home town where his grandfather set up a draper’s shop.
Katter Party disrupts parliament on the eve of IWD
This week, Robbie Katter was speaking only a few kilometres from weapons manufacturers (Ferra Engineering) in Tingalpa that are making bomb parts for the IDF. For some reason the members of the Katter party protesting outside the parliament against the Greens statements (in support of Palestinian people) cannot make the connection between the genocide that occurred here in Queensland and the genocide being perpetrated by the Israelis against the Palestinians.
FERRA in Brisbane is helping Israel carpet bomb Palestinian people in Gaza. Israel is using the same bomb parts to target the country of his great grandfather, Lebanon.
Yet all Robbie Katter could come up with was a sign that said Condemn Hamas. This is what Michael Berkman had to say in parliament about healthcare during the genocide: “ … most hospitals in Gaza have been forced to close, and the healthcare system does not have the capacity to cope with the number of dead and wounded Palestinians, particularly in northern Gaza.”
What is unreasonable about that, Robbie? Both Robbie Katter and Michael Bergmann were wrong to condemn Hamas, while a genocide is being live streamed, where Israel is ethnically cleansing the Gaza Strip.
One of the few cards that the Palestinian resistance has to prevent the genocide are the military captives held in tunnels under Gaza. The primary demand by the occupation is a return of the hostages. So why would the resistance give up one of the best chances for a ceasefire and for humanitarian aid to be distributed to the starting population of Gaza.
Ian Curr
11 March 2024