Bob Katter MP, Federal Member for Kennedy & Dr Helen Haines MP, Independent Federal Member for Indi will Address the Rural & National Press Clubs of Australia.
As the federal election draws near, it is clear that the crossbench will play a pivotal role in the next parliamentary term, particularly for a future minority government. While the city-based “teal” independents have attracted significant attention in this term, the community independent model they ran with began in the bush. Join Indi MP Helen Haines and Kennedy MP Bob Katter in conversation with Gabrielle Chan, author of Rusted Off: Why Country Australia is Fed Up and members of the National Press Club.
BIO:
Bob Katter MP has represented his community in state and federal parliaments for more than 50 years. He was first elected as the state MP for Flinders in 1974 and served as a Queensland National party minister in a number of portfolios. In 1993, he ran for the federal seat of Kennedy for the National Party and became an independent MP in 2001. Since 2011, he has stood as a member of the Katter Australia Party.
Dr Helen Haines MP was elected as the Independent Federal Member for Indi in 2019, and re-elected in 2022 as the first independent to follow an incumbent independent. She lives on a small beef farm in Wangaratta and grew up on a dairy farm in regional Victoria with four brothers. Before entering politics Dr Haines worked as a nurse, midwife and rural health researcher for more than 30 years.
Gabrielle Chan is a journalist, columnist and author and president of the National Rural Press Club. She was the inaugural rural and regional editor of Guardian Australia and has also worked for News Ltd and the ABC. Gabrielle is the author of Rusted Off: Why Country Australia Is Fed Up (2018), which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Prize and the Walkleys Book Award. Her latest book is Why You Should Give a F**k About Farming (2021).
Event Details
- Arrival 11:30am
- Address commences 12:30pm
- Concludes 1:30pm