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‘We’d save a lot of people’: Robbie Katter calls for rural development bank to help drought-ravaged farmers

Luke Grant
Article image for ‘We’d save a lot of people’: Robbie Katter calls for rural development bank to help drought-ravaged farmers

As the plight of our drought-ravaged farmers continues to deteriorate, numerous drought prevention strategies are being recommended across the political divide.

Barnaby Joyce is chief among those calling for better drought-proofing infrastructure and initiatives. The newly appointed drought envoy is advocating for the drought to be treated in the same way as an emergency bushfire.

This would allow environmental water to be diverted away from the Murray-Darling river system and put towards growing fodder for starving stock.

Meanwhile, Resources Minister Matt Canavan is championing a fresh blueprint that’s been handed to Scott Morrison’s Government, which would see six new dams built in Northern Queensland.

But Robbie Katter, the QLD member for Traeger, says the best way to circumvent more farmer pain is to create a rural development bank.

This would offer alternative lending arrangements to farmers, that are more farmer-friendly then what is available commercially.

“There’s some good people out there that with alternative lending arrangements would come good,” Katter tells Luke Grant.

“We’d save a lot of people.”

“And it’s no cost to the taxpayer. The only thing holding this back is economic ideologues who say government can’t own banks anymore.”

“My big question is why? If it makes sense and it’s no cost to the taxpayer?”

Click PLAY below for the full interview

Luke Grant
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