Bob Katter

Robert Bellarmine Carl Katter (born 22 May 1945) is an Australian politician. He has been the member of Parliament (MP) for the Queensland division of Kennedy since 1993 and is the father of the House, being the longest-serving member of the Australian Parliament. Prior to federal politics, Katter was prominent in Queensland state politics, serving as a minister in the Bjelke-Petersen, Ahern, and Cooper governments. The son of politician Bob Katter Sr., Katter was born in Cloncurry, Queensland, and attended the University of Queensland and worked in small businesses, later joining the National Party. He was first elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the electorate of Flinders at the 1974 state election. Katter was appointed cabinet minister by Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen in 1983, and continued to serve as a minister under premiers Mike Ahern and Russell Cooper until the National Party's defeat at the 1989 state election. Katter retired from state parliament in 1992 and was elected to the House of Representatives at the subsequent federal election, standing for his father's former seat of Kennedy. He resigned from the National Party in the lead-up to the 2001 federal election over policy disagreements, and has continued to be re-elected as an independent and as the founder of his Katter's Australian Party. His son Robbie Katter is a state MP in Queensland, the third generation of the Katter family to become a member of Parliament.