On The Land
12 March, 2025
Katter pushes PM over ag loss and small business impacts
MEMBER for Kennedy Bob Katter has written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese requesting more help for farmers and small business owners affected by recent natural disasters.
Mr Katter called on the Prime Minister to urgently address the financial hardships faced by farmers and small business owners after recent weather events, particularly the severe flooding and power outages that crippled communities across Northern Queensland last month.
Mr Katter has requested the government extend financial assistance to the agricultural sector and small businesses suffering as a result of flooded transport routes and power outages.
He said that farmers, particularly those from the Tablelands, Cassowary Coast and Hinchinbrook regions, had suffered immense losses due to road closures that halted access to major fruit-growing areas for nearly three weeks.
“The inability to transport produce to markets, coupled with increased freight costs once access was restored, has placed a substantial financial burden on local farmers, particularly banana and avocado producers,” he said.
The Australian Banana Growers’ Council recently called for urgent action to improve infrastructure connecting Far North Queensland to the south.
“Weather resilient road corridors are crucial not only for those of us who live and work in the Far North, but also for maintaining the flow of essential goods, including bananas,” council chair Leon Collins said.
“Given we are seeing more frequent and intense weather events, we are calling for State and Federal Governments to prioritise upgrading these important freight routes.”
Mr Collins said the banana industry was losing approximately $20 million per week (farm gate value) and $37 million per week (retail value) while the Bruce Highway, and alternate routes, were cut.
Mr Katter says more needs to be done to support farmers.
“Some agricultural businesses didn’t experience direct property damage and are now ineligible for these flood relief grants, but these farmers faced significant losses due to the disruption of their operations,” he said.
Small business owners across the north, many of whom lost weeks of revenue due to road closures and power outages, were also feeling the strain.
Mr Katter said that many of these businesses were ineligible for funding because their premises were not directly inundated by floodwaters. However, the loss of power – rendering refrigeration and other essential operations impossible – has caused significant stock losses, impacting their ability to continue trading.
Businesses like The Express newspaper were unable to get their product to customers due to the inability to transport it from the Townsville printing press.
Mr Katter pointed to the Forrest Beach Supermarket (south of Lucinda) which lost over $9000 in perishables. The supermarket and other small businesses in the region could not claim compensation due to power-related damages despite suffering significant financial losses.
Additionally, small businesses that have struggled to maintain their workforce through the disaster urgently needed wage subsidies to support their employees during the recovery period.
Mr Katter said he was calling on the Prime Minister to broaden the eligibility criteria for small businesses to include compensation for power-related stock losses and to introduce wage subsidies for those businesses that have gone above and beyond to keep their staff employed during the prolonged flooding event.
“Farmers and small business owners in my electorate have been hit hard by this disaster, and they need the government to step up and provide the support they deserve,” he said.
“These businesses, many of which are the backbone of our community, are suffering not only from the direct impacts of the disaster but from years of inaction on infrastructure upgrades and disaster preparedness. I urge the prime minister to ensure that these industries receive the financial assistance they need to rebuild and recover.”
Mr Katter has provided the Prime Minister’s office with additional documentation from local agricultural groups and small business owners to further highlight the extent of the financial hardship caused by the recent disasters.
