COVID-19 has small business on the ropes

STATE Katter’s Australian Party MP’s have heard the call of thousands of Queensland businesses in desperate need for financial assistance, urging the State Government to chip in by opening up grants to help small businesses struggling with mounting outgoing costs. Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said the Federal Government’s JobKeeper package would go a long way […] READ MORE

Labor bungles firearm exemptions

  A KEY firearms license held by many shooters working on rural properties has been left off the State Labor Government’s list of trading exemptions given to firearms dealers and armourers. Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said his office had been inundated yet again with phone calls from rural property owners, leaseholders and those who work […] READ MORE

Government folds under firearms industry pressure

QUEENSLAND’S licensed firearms dealers and armourers have had a partial win for common sense after the State Labor Government backflipped on a decision to shut them down. Facing relentless pressure from the agricultural and professional shooting industries, State Agricultural Industry Development Minister Mark Furner announced the policy change late this morning, with a directive from […] READ MORE

Small businesses crushed after State bans firearm sales

LEGITIMATE firearm dealers across Queensland are reeling after the State’s Chief Health Officer issued a directive to shut them down without any clear explanation. Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto was outraged at the move, saying it would deprive property owners of the ability to purchase ammunition and new guns to stave off feral pests. “This is […] READ MORE

Foreign asset sales the next potential pandemic

AUSTRALIA must be protected from adverse foreign investment and any asset sales to overseas interests should not be allowed to occur during or directly after the coronavirus pandemic, says Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto. Mr Dametto said he was extremely concerned about foreign investors “swooping in” and buying Australian-owned assets such as homes, factories or farmland […] READ MORE

Ports ban a blow to live export trade

A knee-jerk decision by the State Labor Government to implement a blanket shut down of all Queensland ports to foreign ships until they go through a two-week quarantine period could see North Queensland lose millions of dollars from the local live export industry. Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) MPs have called out Maritime Safety Queensland’s (MSQ’s) […] READ MORE

Crime policy a mess under Labor

THE State Labor Government’s approach to crime is being laughed at by criminals after yet another riot at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre earlier today. Mr Dametto said the riot, which saw youths scale the roof of the centre resulting in a four-hour standoff with police, was another “horrifying reminder of Labor’s approach to crime”. “Time […] READ MORE

Statement

“Last Thursday, March 12, 2020, I attended the North Queensland Agribusiness Futures Forum in Townsville. “Upon learning of Senator Susan McDonald’s positive test for COVID-19, as a precautionary measure, I have been tested early this morning and have been self-isolating since learning of the situation after displaying mild, cold-like symptoms. “I am currently in Brisbane […] READ MORE

Misguided inquiry offers false hope to farmers

A Federal Government inquiry into whether there is a link between farming practices and poor water quality which harms the Great Barrier Reef has been dismissed as “nothing more than a political stunt” by Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto. Mr Dametto said the inquiry, which was holding public hearings in Townsville and Cairns on March 18 […] READ MORE

Weirs study needs State funding

A TRANSFORMATIONAL water storage proposal for growers in the Stone River district could be accelerated if the State Government provided funding for a council study, says Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto. Mr Dametto said Hinchinbrook Shire Council’s plan to construct weirs along the Stone River was the key to crop diversification that “deserved the backing of […] READ MORE