Bob Katter (Kennedy, Katter's Australian Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm glad I made a mistake and had to come down early so that I could hear the speeches, as I know now why I do not sit here and listen to speeches or question time. I have heard a conglomeration of snivelling drivel in my life, but there is not the slightest scintilla of intellectual content in any one of tonight's speeches.

I was rung up about this by the media. I had no idea what was going on—as usual, I was out there in the boondocks working away. He said, 'How are you going to vote on the gay marriage bill?' We had a little bit of an argument about the word 'gay'; we compromised and said 'same-sex marriage'. I said: 'What are you ringing me up about? What are we going to vote on? 'You can't be serious.' I've never been angry throughout this debate. I've found it extremely humorous, I've got to say. I said, 'Listen, mate, I don't know what it's like down south, but five per cent of the population of Australia lives up here in North Queensland, and I don't think it's a great deal different to the rest of Australia, and no-one seems to get married up here. I can't remember the last time I found a couple getting married. So, mate, we can't get the heteros to marry—you've got absolutely no hope of getting that other mob to marry. But thanks for your call.' I thought it was funny.

Whilst you people are all piously holding your hand over your hearts and saying, 'This is the best thing since Burke invented freedom and democracy,' down in the pub, in the real world, where I live and other people live, I walked into the pub and said, 'Bobby, I'm going bush, mate, before they make it compulsory,' and everyone roared laughing. But you don't live in that world. You don't live in that world where real people live. You live down here, where you listen to this incredible concoction of drivel.

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