Jeez, that’ll terrify the Chinese’: Bob Katter slams the government in on-air rant

Outspoken MP Bob Katter has delivered an on-air rant over the government’s perceived failure to adequately protect the country from China.

During the ABC’s Q+A panel on Thursday, April 21, Katter launched into a fiery tirade when asked about the security pact between China and the Solomon Islands, chastising the Morrison government’s security measures.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson for China has said the pact was created to “promote social stability and long-term peace and security in Solomon Islands”.

The MP said he doesn’t believe China’s claims, believing the Solomon Islands would fast become a “base for China”.

Does the security pact between Solomon Islands and China impact Australia’s national security? #QandA pic.twitter.com/hDNYmfKvr4

— QandA (@QandA) April 21, 2022

He blasted the government for failing to recognise the potential threat and not building enough arms to protect Australia.

“In four and a half years you haven’t built a rifle, a machine gun, you’ve stupidly built patrol boats that have got one machine gun on ’em,” he said.

“Jeez, that’ll terrify the Chinese, having that machine gun on those patrol boats. $60 million for a patrol boat that has a machine gun on it. It should have had 40 missiles on it.”

Liberal MP Keith Pitt interrupted Katter’s impassioned tirade saying: “That‘s a hell of a patrol boat.”

Protecting Australia from the threat of invasion has been the main focus of Katter’s current election campaign.

In a recent interview with Sky News, Katter revealed his radical plan to build a bigger army by training teenagers as young as 13 to use artillery.

“They would be 13 and they would be trained to use that rifle,” Katter said.

“How are you going to defend this country? You’ve got no fuel, you’ve got no petrol, you’ve got no missiles, you’ve got no army.

“That was the way it was when I went to school as a kid, at 12 I was handed a giant 303 rifle as big as I was.”

Katter faced criticism for his extreme views on social media.

Bob Katter wants school children armed with firearms just in case China invades. WOW……..what’s in the water in Queensland. He’s nuts!

— Lipstick Queen???? (@Queen20Lover) March 31, 2022

I’ll be on @QandA tonight at 8:30pm talking about the future of the resources industry. ???????????? #auspol pic.twitter.com/qjPXaxaUs2

— Hon Bob Katter MP (@RealBobKatter) April 20, 2022

Katter’s perceived threat that China is planning an invasion has been his main motivation behind his staunch belief for further artillery in Australia.

“Look at the aggression of China in the south Pacific; Do they want a little island in the south pacific? They want the treasure trove which is Australia,” Katter said.

“If you have five million rifles in Australia and people knowing how to use them then you have to have a 100-million-man army to invade Australia and hold it.”