Father-and-son politicians Bob and Robbie Katter are pushing to make North Queensland Australia’s seventh state, calling the idea a “no-brainer.” They say a region of about a million people cannot be fairly governed from Brisbane, some 3,000 kilometers away.
Bob Katter, who has been the federal member for Kennedy since 1993, argued that distant decision-making has failed the north. He pointed to wildlife policy as an example, joking that sharks and crocodiles are allowed to eat people in the north while locals are not allowed to kill them.
His son Robbie Katter, a Queensland MP and leader of Katter’s Australian Party, said the North Queensland Cowboys rugby league club was the perfect analogy for separate statehood. He argued a new state would benefit all Australians, not just the north.
The push is not new. In May 2024, Robbie Katter introduced a motion in the Queensland Parliament calling for a referendum on the split. It was voted down.
Local MP Nick Dametto has backed an economist’s analysis claiming a North Queensland state would be viable. The study found the region has almost one million residents and passes political, economic, social and legal tests for statehood.