Katter's Australian Party facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Katter's Australian Party
Abbreviation	KAP
Leader	Robbie Katter
Deputy Leader	Nick Dametto
President	Chris Carney
Founder	Bob Katter
Founded	5 June 2011; 14 years ago (5 June 2011)
Registered	27 September 2011
Merged into	Queensland Party (2011)
Headquarters	2/321 Sturt Street, Townsville, Queensland
Membership (2013)	1,500
Ideology	Populism Agrarian socialism Social conservatism Economic nationalism
Colours	Dark red
House of Representatives	1 / 151
Senate	0 / 76
Queensland Legislative Assembly	3 / 93
Politics of Australia Political parties

Katter's Australian Party (KAP) is a political party in Australia. It focuses on helping people in country areas (this is called agrarianism). The party also has ideas that are popular with many everyday people (this is called populism).

KAP was started by Bob Katter, who was a Member of Parliament (MP) for a long time. He used to be an independent MP, meaning he didn't belong to a major party. The party officially registered in 2011.

Bob Katter has been re-elected as an MP for the party in federal elections in 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2022. The party has also won seats in the Queensland state parliament. In 2020, Bob Katter passed the leadership of the party to his son, Robbie Katter.

Party Name

Party founder Bob Katter

When the party first tried to register, the Australian Electoral Commission said no. This was because their first choice for a name, "The Australian Party," was too common. It might have confused people.

So, on September 27, 2011, the party successfully registered as "Katter's Australian Party." In Queensland, they were allowed to use a shorter name on election papers. However, the party wanted the full name to appear everywhere. They even tried to go to court to make sure the full name was on all Queensland election ballots, but they were not successful.

What the Party Believes In

Katter's Australian Party focuses on issues important to farming and rural areas. They are also seen as a conservative party, meaning they often support traditional values. They also believe in putting Australia's interests first (this is called nationalism).

When it comes to money and business, the party supports:

• Protecting Australian industries: They want to make it harder for foreign goods to compete with Australian ones.
• Economic nationalism: This means they believe the government should help Australian businesses and jobs grow.
• Developing Australia: They want to build new things and create jobs, sometimes by adding taxes on imported goods.

The party also supports the idea of North Queensland becoming its own state.

Here are some of their main ideas:

Economy and Jobs

• They want to create a special bank owned by the government to help businesses grow.
• They believe important services like airports, water, electricity, and public transport should be run by the government, not private companies.

Energy and Environment

• They want to build new dams to help with farming and make electricity from water (hydro electricity).
• They want to improve the power lines that deliver electricity.
• They are against taxes on carbon pollution.
• They support clean energy like ethanol (a fuel from plants) and solar power. They believe this will help reduce carbon pollution.
• They want to stop gas extraction near water sources.
• They want to make sure farmers get enough water for their crops, especially in the Murray Darling Basin.
• They want stronger rules to stop diseases from entering Australia, protecting farms and animals.

Firearms and Gun Control

• They want to make it easier for people who follow the law to own and use firearms.
• They want to change the rules about gun ownership.
• They believe farmers who have a gun license should be allowed to own handguns.
• They want a faster system for getting gun permits.

Workers' Rights

• They believe the government should make sure all workers, especially farmers, can work together to get better pay and conditions.
• They want to stop big businesses from using special visas (like 457 visas) to replace Australian workers or pay them less.

Infrastructure

• They want to build better roads and railways to help businesses in regional areas.

Property Rights

• They believe that mining or exploration should not happen on someone's land without their permission.
• They want the government to make it easier for people to own their own homes.

Government and Rules

• They believe the government should protect people who report problems in the public service (called whistleblowers).
• They want to limit how much control big supermarkets like Woolworths and Coles have over the market.
• They want to stop the government from selling off important services to private companies. They believe these services should be owned by the public.
• They want to make sure that banks lend money in a way that helps improve life for average Australians.

Trade

• They want the government to buy Australian-made products whenever possible.
• They want all government building projects to use Australian steel.
• They want all cars bought by the government to be Australian-made.
• They want uniforms for the armed forces, police, and prisons to be made in Australia.
• They want to increase taxes on products coming into Australia from other countries.
• They want Australian-made goods to have the best spots on supermarket shelves.
• They want to prevent important Australian assets, like farmland, from being sold to foreign companies unless it's good for Australia.
• They want to stop big companies from becoming too powerful and controlling everything.

Federal Elections

Katter's Australian Party has run candidates in federal elections for the Australian House of Representatives and the Australian Senate.

2013 Federal Election

In the 2013 election, the party received about 1% of the votes across Australia. Their best results were in Queensland. Bob Katter kept his seat in Kennedy.

2016 Federal Election

In the 2016 election, the party received about 0.5% of the votes. Bob Katter again kept his seat in Kennedy. After this election, Bob Katter said he would support the government if they needed help to stay in power, but it wasn't needed.

2019 and 2022 Federal Elections

Bob Katter continued to win his seat of Kennedy in both the 2019 and 2022 federal elections. The party also ran candidates in other areas of Queensland.

State Politics

Queensland

Katter's Australian Party has been active in Queensland state politics.

• In 2011, the party joined with another group called the Queensland Party.
• In 2012, two of their candidates, Robbie Katter and Shane Knuth, won seats in the Queensland Parliament. Robbie Katter's seat, Mount Isa, is very close to his father's federal seat.
• Later in 2012, another MP, Ray Hopper, joined the party. He became the party's leader in Queensland.
• In the 2015 Queensland state election, Robbie Katter and Shane Knuth kept their seats. The election was very close, and the party had a chance to help decide which major party would form the government, but another independent MP supported Labor, so KAP's help wasn't needed.
• In the 2017 Queensland state election, the party won three seats, with Nick Dametto joining Robbie Katter and Shane Knuth. They became the third largest party in the Queensland Parliament.
• In the 2020 Queensland state election, all three MPs – Robbie Katter, Shane Knuth, and Nick Dametto – were re-elected.

Other States

The party has also tried to gain support in other states like Tasmania, South Australia, and Victoria, but they have not won any seats there.

Donors

Katter's Australian Party has received money from groups linked to the firearms industry. For example, in 2020-21, they received large donations from shooting associations. Reports show that between 2011 and 2018, the party received a lot of money from pro-gun groups, more than any other Australian political party.

Leaders

Federal Leader

No.	Leader (birth–death)	Portrait	Electorate	Term of office
1	Bob Katter (b. 1945)		Kennedy, Qld. (federal seat)	5 June 2011	3 February 2020
				8 years and 244 days
2	Robbie Katter (b. 1977)		Traeger (state seat)	3 February 2020	Incumbent
				5 years and 180 days

State Leaders

Queensland Leader

No.	Leader (birth–death)	Portrait	Electorate	Term of office
1	Aidan McLindon (b. 1980)		Beaudesert	9 August 2011	26 April 2012
				262 days
2	Ray Hopper (b. 1960)		Condamine	29 November 2012	2 February 2015
				2 years and 62 days
3	Robbie Katter (b. 1977)		Traeger	2 February 2015	Incumbent
				10 years and 181 days

Queensland Deputy Leader

Electoral Results

These tables show how many votes and seats Katter's Australian Party has won in different elections.

Federal

House of Representatives

Election year	No. of overall votes	% of overall vote	seats won	+/–	Position
2013	134,226	1.04 (6th)	1 / 150	1	Crossbench
2016 (D-D)	72,879	0.54 (9th)	1 / 150		Crossbench
2019	69,736	0.49 (9th)	1 / 150		Crossbench
2022	55,863	0.38 (9th)	1 / 150		Crossbench

Senate

Election year	No. of overall votes	% of overall vote	seats won	+/–	Position
2013	119,920	0.89 (10th)	0 / 76		Extra-parliamentary
2016	53,123	0.38 (10th)	0 / 76		Extra-parliamentary
2019	51,407	0.35 (19th)	0 / 76		Extra-parliamentary
2022	did not contest				Extra-parliamentary

Queensland

Legislative Assembly

Election year	No. of overall votes	% of overall vote	seats won	+/–	Notes
2012	282,098	11.53 (3rd)	2 / 89	2	Crossbench
2015	50,588	1.93 (5th)	2 / 89		Crossbench (shared balance of power)
2017	62,613	2.32 (5th)	3 / 93	1	Crossbench
2020	71,893	2.5 (5th)	3 / 93		Crossbench

South Australia

Legislative Council

Election year	No. of overall votes	% of overall vote	seats won	+/–	Notes
2014	1,503	0.1 (21st)	0 / 22		Extra-parliamentary

List of Parliamentarians

This table lists the people who have been Members of Parliament for Katter's Australian Party.

Image	Name	Chamber	Electorate	Term began	Term ended	Length of term	Total length of terms
	Katter, BobBob Katter (1945–)	Australian House of Representatives	Kennedy (Qld)	5 June 2011	incumbent	14 years, 58 days
	McLindon, AidanAidan McLindon (1980–)	Queensland Legislative Assembly	Beaudesert	9 August 2011	24 March 2012	228 days
	Knuth, ShaneShane Knuth (1966–)	Queensland Legislative Assembly	Dalrymple	30 October 2011	25 November 2017	6 years, 26 days	13 years, 276 days
			Hill	25 November 2017	incumbent	7 years, 250 days
	Katter, RobbieRobbie Katter (1977–)	Queensland Legislative Assembly	Mount Isa	24 March 2012	25 November 2017	5 years, 246 days	13 years, 131 days
			Traeger	25 November 2017	incumbent	7 years, 250 days
	Hopper, RayRay Hopper (1960–)	Queensland Legislative Assembly	Condamine	25 November 2012	31 January 2015	2 years, 67 days
	Dametto, NickNick Dametto (1983–)	Queensland Legislative Assembly	Hinchinbrook	25 November 2017	incumbent	7 years, 250 days
	Anning, FraserFraser Anning (1949–)	Australian Senate	Queensland	4 June 2018	25 October 2018	143 days

Images for kids

• 

  Fraser Anning, a former senator who briefly joined the party.

See also

In Spanish: Partido Australiano de Katter para niños

• Bob Katter
• Robbie Katter
• List of political parties in Australia