Straight Talk with Mark Bouris Bob Katter on Taking Down Prime Ministers, 50 years in politics & Australia Selling Itself Out
Mar 31, 2026
Bob Katter, a long-serving Australian MP known for rural advocacy, reflects on 50 years in politics. He recounts opposing the live cattle export ban and leaving the Nationals. He discusses deregulation’s damage to farming, Australia losing control of resources, the rise of One Nation from rural despair, and big infrastructure ideas to rebuild regional Australia.
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How Gas Permits Gave Away National Advantage
- Australia effectively sold domestic gas access by issuing mining permits without reserved-resource rules, enabling foreign owners to export and price domestic users out.
- Katter explains Australia received ~$600m while exports of the same gas earned ~$29,000m for buyers.
How Bob Katter Ousted A Prime Minister
- Bob Katter switched his federal support to bring down Julia Gillard over the live cattle export ban.
- He held a morning press conference and by that night Gillard was replaced by Kevin Rudd and the cattle market reopened within days.
Deregulation Crushed Regional Agriculture
- Deregulation under John Anderson removed statutory marketing and arbitration for multiple agricultural industries, collapsing local price protections.
- Katter details sugar mills becoming foreign owned and farmers forced into low-price competition with monopolies and retailers.