An outraged Bob Katter has gotten into a verbal spat with a political rival over a Senate inquiry into the practices and power of supermarket giants.
Sir. Katter and Nationals senator Ross Caddell went head-to-head as the Queensland MP held a press conference at the Hotel Canobolas in Orange, Western NSWto introduce a parliamentary bill to ‘reduce supermarket dominance’ on Tuesday.
Sir. Cadell, who is part of the Senate inquiry, repeatedly interrupted Mr Katter, who became furious, and warned him to stop talking about his speech.
“Why don’t you spend some time attacking Woolworths and Coles instead of playing politics?” Mr. Katter told the senator.
The exchange came after farmers and producers descended on the rural hotel to make statements to the inquiry into the corporatisation of Australian supermarkets.
Queensland MP Bob Katter has clashed with Nationals senator Ross Caddell (pictured) over an investigation into supermarket pricing practices
Sir. Cats held the conference in front of a sign reading ‘stop supermarket pigs and National Party pigs’ held by two people dressed in inflatable pig suits.
Sir. Cadell told Mr Katter he was only interrupting to take issue with independent MP Andrew Gee, who left the National Party in 2022 over The Voice vote.
The senator interrupted Mr Katter while responding to his comments, calling Mr Gee a ‘stunt man’, infuriating the maverick minister.
“Don’t talk over me again, I’m warning you,” Katter’s Australian Party founder said, pointing the finger at Mr Cadell.
He hit back at the media, adding that “this guy won’t shut up, he won’t let anyone else speak”.
After being interrupted again, Mr Katter took two steps towards Mr Cadell and faced his political opponent, telling him once again to “shut up”.
His disparagement of the senator and the National Party continued in a statement released later on Tuesday.
“(Mr Gee) and I were there for the farmers and to attack the big supermarkets,” Mr Katter said in the statement.
“We are talking about real action, not inquiries, we have the legislation that Parliament has to vote on.
And here we had a guy attacking the people attacking Woolworths and Coles.
‘That’s fine – maybe it’s the National Party’s position to side with Woolworths and Coles. I go after the supermarkets and the Nationals go after me.’
Sir. Katter went on to call on the Nationals Party to remove Mr Cadell over the interaction, saying “his behavior was highly inappropriate”.
Sir. Katter was furious that the senator kept interrupting him, repeatedly telling him to “shut up” and calling on the Nationals to remove him from the party
Farmers and producers told the inquiry that their prices have barely risen for 12 years despite skyrocketing costs being passed on to customers
The inquiry has called on farmers from across Australia to provide evidence of how much supermarkets are paying for produce and what price is being passed on to customers.
Those in the industry warned the inquiry committee that the pricing practices of major supermarkets would leave small and family-owned farmers in the lurch.
“There will be no family farms left within five to 10 years,” orange grower Guy Gaeta told the inquiry, according to ABC.
‘All you’re going to have are corporate businesses and they’re going to be as good citizens to the consumer as they are now, and that’s scary.’
Apple and cherry grower Ian Pearce said he has asked his children not to take over ownership of the farm his family has run for over 100 years.
He added that he gets paid about $2.50 a kilo for Gala apples from major supermarkets, just 12 cents more than in 2011, but he hasn’t seen his produce sell for much less than $5.
‘If we haven’t had a price rise for 12 years, our costs are going through the roof, what’s going to happen? I don’t see a future, Mr Pearce said.
The Senate committee will next hear from farmers in Melbourne after previously traveling from Hobart.