Robbie Katter
{{Short description|Australian politician (born 1977)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-preffix =
| name = Robbie Katter
| honorific-suffix = MP
| image = Robbie Katter with hat at lookout (cropped).jpg
| caption = Katter in 2015
| office = Leader of the Katter's Australian Party
| deputy = Nick Dametto
| term_start = 3 February 2020
| term_end =
| predecessor = Bob Katter
| successor =
| deputy2 = Shane Knuth
Aiden McLindon
| term_start2 = 26 April 2012
| term_end2 = 29 November 2012
Interim
| successor2 = Ray Hopper
| office3 = Member of the
Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Traeger
Mount Isa (2012–2017)
| term_start3 = 24 March 2012
| term_end3 =
| predecessor3 = Betty Kiernan
| successor4 =
| residence = Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
| spouse = {{marriage|Stacey Milner
|2005|2009|end=divorced}}{{cite news|url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/subscribe/news/1/index.html?sourceCode=CMWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&mode=premium&dest=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/robbie-katter-unofficial-spokesperson-for-queensland-crossbenchers-never-set-out-to-go-into-politics/news-story/25277e10ef697104c02d7f4e247b45fd&memtype=anonymous|title=Subscribe – couriermail|newspaper=couriermail.com.au}}
{{marriage|Daisy Hatfield
|2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/robbie-katter-engaged-to-abc-reporter/news-story/6e9a31600fb267f1ecb41d5a71fe0f33|title=Katter caught by ABC reporter}}{{cite web|url=http://www.northweststar.com.au/story/4898230/wedding-bells-for-daisy-hatfield-and-robbie-katter/|title=Wedding bells for Daisy Hatfield and Robbie Katter|first=Esther|last=MacIntyre|date=4 September 2017}}
| party = Katter's Australian (since 2011)
| otherparty = National (before 2001)
Independent (2001–2011)
| parents = Bob Katter Jr.
Susan O'Rourke
| relations = Katter family
| relatives = Bob Katter Sr. (grandfather)
Carl Katter (half–uncle)
Alex Douglas (cousin)
| birth_name = Robert Carl Ignatius Katter
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1977|3|3}}
| birth_place = Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| education = St. Columba Catholic College
| alma_mater = Queensland University of Technology
| occupation = {{hlist|Politician|property valuer}}
| profession = {{hlist|Farmer|labourer|real estate}}
| website = {{URL|robbiekatter.com.au}}
| footnotes = {{Collapsible list
|titlestyle = background:lavender;text-align:center;
|title = Other offices {{ref|https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Members/Current-Members/Member-List/Member-Details?id=1820876082}}
|bullets = on
| 2017–present: Member; Agriculture, Environment, State Development & Infrastructure Committee (Qld)
| 2012–2015: Parliamentary Secretary
| 2008–2012: Mount Isa City Council}}
}}
Robert Carl Ignatius Katter (born 3 March 1977) is an Australian politician. He serves as the member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for Traeger, having previously represented Mount Isa from 2012 to 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/current/list/MemberDetails?ID=1397068572|title=Former Members Bio|first=c=AU; o=The State of Queensland; ou=Parliament of|last=Queensland|website=parliament.qld.gov.au}} He is the leader of Katter's Australian Party, having taken over from his father Bob Katter in February 2020.
Biography
=Early life=
Katter was born on 3 March 1977 in North Queensland. His father is Bob Katter, the federal member for Kennedy and founder of Katter's Australian Party, and his grandfather Bob Katter Sr. was also a federal MP. He received a Bachelor of Applied Science in Property Economics from the Queensland University of Technology.{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/current/list/MemberDetails?ID=1397068572|title=Former Members Bio|work=Parliament of Queensland}}{{cite web|url=http://robkatter.com.au/rob/|title=Rob|website=robkatter.com.au}}
= Early career=
Katter started his career as a mine worker in Mount Isa, before working as a property valuer for fifteen years and running a small business in Mount Isa.Interview with Robbie Katter MP, The Betoota Advocate Podcast, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA3GfoFdtNo Ep 130].
= Political career (2012–present)=
He won Mount Isa at the 2012 state election, pushing Labor incumbent Betty Kiernan into third place.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/qld/2012/guide/misa.htm|title=Mount Isa – Queensland Votes 2012 – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}} He capitalised on his family's name recognition in the area. Mount Isa was virtually coextensive with the western portion of his father's federal seat of Kennedy, and much of the eastern portion of the seat was once part of the elder Katter's old state seat of Flinders.
After his election to the Legislative Assembly, he became Queensland leader of his father's party, but on 29 November 2012, it was announced that he had been succeeded as leader by Ray Hopper, and would become the party's "parliamentary secretary".{{cite news|last=Hurst|first=Daniel|title=LNP defector clinches Katter party leadership|url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/lnp-defector-clinches-katter-party-leadership-20121129-2ah6o.html|access-date=19 December 2012|newspaper=Brisbane Times|date=29 November 2012}} Following Hopper's defeat at the 2015 election, Katter once again became state leader.{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-01/queensland-election-outcome-bad-news-for-lnp/6060488|title=Katter's Australian Party could hold the ticket to government in dramatic Queensland election|date=2 February 2015|work=ABC Online}}
The state electorate of Mount Isa was abolished in 2017, and Katter followed most of his constituents into the new seat of Traeger. The new seat was essentially the northern, more urbanised portion of Katter's former seat, and is based on Mount Isa. The seat was created as a comfortably safe KAP seat, and Katter won it handily.
He serves on the boards of the Laura Johnson Home, a retirement home, and the Southern Gulf Catchments, an environmental organisation.
In February 2020, he was appointed leader of the Katter's Australian Party.{{cite news |last1=Lynch |first1=Lydia |title=Bob Katter hands over party leadership to his son |url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/bob-katter-hands-over-party-leadership-to-his-son-20200203-p53x5h.html |access-date=3 February 2020 |work=Brisbane Times |date=2 February 2020 |language=en}}
At the 2020 Queensland state election Katter retained his seat of Traeger with 58.85 per cent of first preference votes and 74.72 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote.{{Cite web |work=Electoral Commission of Queensland |date=2022-05-11 |title=2020 State General Election |url=https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/elections/election-events/2020-election-events2/2020-state-general-election |access-date=2023-11-01 |language=en}}
At the 2024 Queensland state election Katter retained his seat of Traeger.
Political views
Robbie Katter is an agrarian socialist, beginning a speech in the Queensland Parliament in 2017 by saying "The members opposite refer to agrarian socialism as though it is a bad thing. I wear it like a badge."[https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/speeches/spk2017/Robert_Katter-Mount%20Isa-20170301-653149660872.pdf]
In 2020, Katter called for the federal government to buy back Qantas Airline.{{cite web | url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6728385/robbie-katter-urges-federal-government-to-buy-back-qantas/ | title=Robbie Katter urges federal government to buy back Qantas | date=20 April 2020 }}{{cite web | url=https://kap.org.au/qantas-buy-in-not-bail-out-best-option-for-australia/ | title=QANTAS buy in not bail out best option for Australia | date=20 April 2020 }}
In April 2022, Katter said he would move a bill to ban transgender athletes from women's sport in the state.{{cite web | url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7709193/katter-wants-trans-athletes-banned-in-qld/ | title=Katter wants trans athletes banned in QLD | date=22 April 2022 }} In May 2022, he proposed a motion which was voted down 49 votes to 33. The opposition Liberal National Party of Queensland voted with him.{{cite news | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-12/qld-parliament-debate-kap-transgender-people-womens-sport/101058588 | title=LNP backs 'repugnant' Katter motion on transgender women playing sport | newspaper=ABC News | date=11 May 2022 }}
Katter advocates for North Queensland statehood.{{cite news|title=Rob Katter pushes to split Queensland into two states|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-15/divide-queensland-into-two-states-says-katters-australian-party/7847436|newspaper=ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)|access-date=15 September 2016|archive-date=15 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915123231/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-15/divide-queensland-into-two-states-says-katters-australian-party/7847436|url-status=live}} On 22 May 2024, Katter introduced a motion in the Queensland Parliament that would separate North Queensland from the rest of the state, and called for a Referendum to be held in the North to allow residents to have their say on the matter. Katter claimed that the region was being neglected by the state's South East, particularly in the areas of investment, infrastructure and disaster relief.{{Cite news |last=Barton |first=Fraser |date=30 May 2024 |title=North Queensland state is 'gonna happen': Katter vows |url=https://www.northweststar.com.au/story/8638166/robbie-katter-pushes-for-north-queensland-state/ |access-date=5 June 2024 |work=The North West Star}}
Katter is anti-abortion and has made a pledge to introduce a Private Members Bill into the post-election 2024 Queensland Parliament.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-21 |title=Hear from Robbie Katter's own electorate on the abortion issue |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-21/naus_katteryoungvoterspm_2110/104499530 |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=www.abc.net.au |language=en-AU}}
Personal life
Katter is married to Daisy (née Hatfield),{{cite web | last=MacIntyre | first=Esther | title=Daisy and Robbie Katter share stunning photos of Spring wedding | website=The North West Star | date=September 4, 2017 | url=https://www.northweststar.com.au/story/4900262/mr-mrs-katter-share-intimate-wedding-photos/ | access-date=February 6, 2021}} a former journalist. They met when Daisy was working for WIN Television in Townsville on an assignment to interview him. They have three children, Peaches Grace Hatfield Katter, born 2020, Rosie Elizabeth Frances Hatfield Katter, born 2021, Georgina Isabella Hatfield Katter, born 2023.{{cite web | last=Barry | first=Derek | title=Robbie and Daisy Katter have a baby girl | website=The North West Star | date=2020-04-21 | url=https://www.northweststar.com.au/story/6730024/robbie-and-daisy-katter-have-a-baby-girl/ | access-date=2021-02-06}}{{cite web | last=Butterworth | first=Kelly | title=Robbie Katter and wife Daisy welcome Peaches Grace to the family - ABC News | website=ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) | date=2020-04-22 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-22/robbie-katter-and-wife-daisy-have-baby-peaches/12172016 | access-date=2021-02-06}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au-qld}}
{{s-bef|before=Betty Kiernan}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member for Mount Isa|years=2012–2017}}
{{s-non|reason=Abolished}}
{{s-new|seat}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member for Traeger|years=2017–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=Aidan McLindon}}
{{s-ttl|title=Leader of Katter's Australian Party in Queensland|years=2012}}
{{s-aft|after=Ray Hopper}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=Ray Hopper}}
{{s-ttl|title=Leader of Katter's Australian Party in Queensland|years=2015–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}
{{QldCurrentMPs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katter, Robbie}}
Category:Australian people of Irish descent
Category:Australian people of Lebanese descent
Category:Australian monarchists
Category:Katter's Australian Party politicians
Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Category:21st-century Australian politicians