Full steam ahead on issues for Traeger MP

THE Electoral Commission of Queensland has confirmed all declarations for the 2020 state election.

That means it’s back to work for Traeger MP Robbie Katter, who was returned to the seat with 58.85 per cent of the primary vote at the October 31 election.

He finished ahead of Labor’s James Bambrick with 20.61 per cent, LNP’S Marnie Smith with 16.04 per cent, Queensland Greens’ Kristian Horvath 2.25 per cent, independent Craig Scriven 1.35 per cent and Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party candidate Phillip Collins with 0.89 per cent.

Mr Katter was the clear choice for voters, with Mr Bambrick receiving 25.28 per cent of the vote to the incumbent’s 74.72 per cent after preferences were allocated.

Mr Katter said several issues surfaced during the election campaign, and there were several already high on his list of priorities, that he would be pursuing doggedly during this term of parliament.

“I’m really glad to have another chance to follow up on the ever-growing list of critical needs around the electorate,” the leader of Katter’s Australian Party said.

“The fight for survival in regional Queensland is getting more desperate.

“The plan now is to survey the political landscape down in Brisbane to see how things sit, and we will certainly be agitating the government.

“I’ll be extremely upset if Labor is patting themselves on the back for the job they’ve done; if they’ve ignored us on so many areas.”

Mr Katter said within Traeger he would be holding the

Labor government to account on its election commitments, including health improvements, the upgrade of the inland highway and more.

“I’ll be moving swiftly on the promises they’ve made like dialysis for Charters Towers,” Mr Katter said.

“And we’ll be moving swiftly and putting things back in place on some of the policies we’ve identified that need to be delivered, whether it’s blue cards, reef regulations or Australian labelling for fish as we announced during the campaign.”

Mr Katter said the KAP would continue to push for red tape to be cleared to allow Big Rocks Weir to move into the construction phase.

And he plans to focus on Hells Gates Dam, the Hughenden Irrigation Project and the Pentland Biofuels Project.

“I’m going to be pushing for the improved hospital services that I want to see there in Charters Towers and to continue the case for the new hospital,” Mr Katter said.

“But one of the things I didn’t bring up in the campaign, which was a late bolter of an issue, is the housing shortage in Charters Towers.”