Bob Katter

Robert Carl "Bob" Katter, Jr. (born 22 May 1945) is an Australian federal politician, a member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1993 for the Division of Kennedy, and the leader of Katter's Australian Party. He began his federal parliamentary career as a member of the National Party of Australia, but left the party in 2001, holding the seat as an independent for ten years, when he formed his own party, which was registered in September 2011. Prior to his election to federal politics, Katter was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, from 1974 to 1992, representing the seat of Flinders for the National Party. Katter was a minister in the Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen-led National Party government, holding various portfolios between 1983 and 1989.

Early career and family background

Katter was born in Cloncurry, Queensland, the son of Bob Katter, Sr., who was the member for Kennedy from 1966 to 1990. Bob Katter's great-grandfather was born in Lebanon a Maronite Catholic. He migrated to Australia. His father Bob Katter Sr. ran a clothing store and a picture theatre in Cloncurry in 1942 and was a pioneer for the rights of the Indigenous community - taking down a barrier separating the whites from the blacks and giving Aboriginal station hands store credit for boots and clothes for station hand work. Bob Katter Jr. was an investor in cattle and mining interests before entering politics via the Queensland state parliament in 1974.