Ideas@TheCentre
Measly turnout for the protectionist vote
Is Bob Katter’s Australian Party actually popular? Do his policies really have any traction in Queensland or the rest of Australia? Or is the attention afforded to his party more a reflection of Katter’s unique and colourful personality?
Katter purports that his party exists to channel the widespread community dissatisfaction with the two major parties. But in reality, this is simply a flimsy attempt by Katter to sell his party as a distinct brand from Labor and the LNP.
For a party commonly referred to as the third force in Queensland, and repeatedly compared to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, the Australian Party’s abysmal result in the recent Queensland election fell well short of expectations. Despite a large political profile and a controversial advertising campaign, the fledgling party secured a mere two seats.
By contrast, One Nation managed to win 11 of the state’s 89 seats in its first state election appearance. Considering there was ample opportunity to snap up fertile political ground off an unpopular Labor government, the Australian Party’s performance is particularly indicative of the lukewarm support for Katter’s political ideas.
These results should be warmly received by those committed to free markets and individual liberty. Katter’s Australian Party represents a model of Australia that existed more than half a century ago. Toeing Australian Party policies would see Australia reverse many of the most important socio-economic and cultural reforms of the Hawke-Keating/Howard era.
Katter’s advocacy of industry protection for agriculture and manufacturing, and hostility towards foreign competition and foreign investment, are reminiscent of the ‘fortress’ Paul Kelly described in his book, The End of Certainty, about an Australia characterised by low competition, low productivity, high inflation, and an uninspiring level of growth.
In addition, despite the anti nanny-state rhetoric in his ‘Boil a Billy’ campaign, policy proposals such as breaking up Coles and Woolworths, an arbitrated price for sugar, and a nod to centralised wage fixing suggest Katter desires a highly interventionist state.
If the Australian Party’s success follows the trajectory of One Nation, its support will gradually wane. Let’s hope the demise is before the party does any lasting damage to the social and economic fabric of the nation.
Alexander Philipatos is a Policy Analyst at The Centre for Independent Studies.
