THE Katter Party is again pushing for the of new state for North Queensland.
KAP leader and member for Mt Isa Robbie Katter said if KAP held the balance of power following the next election it would immediately take the first step toward the establishment of North Queensland as a separate state.
“The first step will be the establishment of a committee of independent experts with knowledge of the legal, economic and social factors to be considered and addressed to facilitate the establishment of the state of North Queensland,” Mr Katter said.
“The independent committee will develop a roadmap, that will define the steps required to establish the state of North Queensland.’’
Calls for the creation of a new state in North Queensland are not new, going back to the 19th century. More recently a Working Group for the Establishment of North Queensland brought together Katter Party MPs at both a state and federal level, as well as LNP federal MP George Christensen, independent state MP Rob Pyne, economists, academics, local stakeholders and business and farming representatives.
Mr Katter said a logical starting point of a border when splitting Queensland in two, would be the Tropic of Capricorn.
“If this border was adopted it would place Rockhampton in the state of North Queensland,” he said.
“Crucially our indigenous population would also have to be closely consulted.”
Mr Robbie said about 60 per cent of Queensland’s export industries were above the Tropic of Capricorn and contained only 20pc of the population.
“Given the decline of the north and the regions under multiple ALP and LNP Governments we believe the time is right to once again seriously consider the creation of separate North Queensland State,” Mr Katter said.
“It would result in an immediate financial return back to those who created the wealth in Queensland.”
