General News
4 June, 2025
Katters call meeting to focus on Mount Isa's future
The public meeting will highlight some of the advocacy work being done by the state and federal MPs.
Father and son political duo Bob and Robbie Katter will host a public meeting in Mount Isa on Friday night to discuss the city’s future.
“It’s important to try and create some certainty and confidence in the town,” said Robbie, the state Member for Traeger.
“It’s really important for us as representatives to pass on as much as we can in terms of what we’ve done and where the efforts have been.
“We want to communicate what’s been done so far and what our aspirations are, and where we want to be with maintaining copper production in Mount Isa into the future.”
Bob, the federal Member for Kennedy, has declared an “impending emergency” for Mount Isa and Townsville unless immediate and decisive action is undertaken by the state and federal governments to prevent the closure of the Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery.
“We need to implement ‘use it or lose it’ policy – meaning Glencore must be forced to sell if they won’t operate,” Bob explained.
“The smelter must stay open and we need to make CopperString happen now.
“All of these things are linked; they all play a significant role in ensuring Queensland’s economic stability and Australia’s national sovereignty.”
Robbie said he was concerned that governments would solve the smelter and refinery issue by handing over a cheque to Glencore.
“We want to make it very clear to the governments that it would be very unpalatable to the Australian taxpayer that we simply save this thing again to the direct benefit of Glencore,” he said.
“We’re trying to avoid that situation. I think I there’d be lots of people in treasury and the government bureaucracy that would love to just write a cheque and go away and focus again on the Olympic Games, but we want reform.
“We are serious about creating a Special Economic Zone. I don’t think that’s unrealistic at all given the political climate.”
Bob said Australia’s future was at risk if governments continued to back foreign-owned corporations.
“There is $680 billion worth of copper in the North West Minerals Province just sitting there. To put that in context, the 2024-25 projected federal revenue is $711.5 billion,” he said.
“If Glencore wants government money, then at the very least, there must be a ceding of 50 per cent control – or they get nothing.
“Let them close the mine if they want – then the government must, by law, impose rehabilitation and remediation. I’ve got mates who close mines and get hit with huge bills. But when it comes to big foreign corporations, it seems in Queensland, there’s one set of rules for us and another for them.”
The Katters are hosting a public meeting tomorrow (Friday) at 6.30pm at the Barkly Hotel.