Bob Katter and his son Robbie have renewed their campaign for North Queensland to become Australia’s seventh state, arguing decisions made thousands of kilometres away in Brisbane are holding the region back.
Bob Katter says North Queenslanders have spent decades fighting for political attention, despite being major contributors to the state economy through agriculture, mining, tourism and energy.
Speaking to news.com.au, Katter said geography was at the heart of the issue.
‘The problem really consists of around a million people being governed by a government 3000 kilometres away,’ he said.
‘I can’t find anywhere in the world that a million people are governed by people 3,000 kilometres away from their seat of government.’
‘Now that being the case, you are never going to get a fair go. Never is that going to happen.’
LNP Senator Matt Canavan has also thrown his support behind the campaign, arguing regional Queenslanders increasingly feel disconnected from decision-makers in Brisbane and Canberra.
While the push surfaces regularly in Queensland politics, the barriers to statehood remain significant. Under Section 124 of the Constitution, creating a new state requires approval by the Queensland Parliament, meaning any government in Brisbane would need to agree to a split.
Bob Katter is calling for Queensland to be split into two states, saying that those in the far north should not be governed by people 3,000km away
The state would incorporate the top half of Queensland over to the NT border
In 2024, Katter’s Australian Party MP Robbie Katter unsuccessfully moved a motion in the Queensland Parliament calling for North Queensland to become a separate state.
In his speech, Robbie Katter said Australia had grown unusually reluctant to reconsider colonial-era boundaries.
‘The last time a state, or colony, was formed was in 1859, and that was Queensland.’
‘At the same time, the USA had formed close to 20 new states.’
Citing historian Geoffrey Blainey, Katter argued Australia’s federation had barely changed for more than 150 years, despite massive shifts in population and the economy.
‘Australia has created no new states since 1859; the United States in contrast has created close to 20.’
‘For a land of this size we do not have enough states. We thus miss one of the advantages of federalism.’
He also noted demographer Bernard Salt’s argument that Australians will eventually be more open to rethinking old political structures.
Robbie Katter (pictured) moved a failed motion to split Queensland into two states in 2024
‘Those lines drawn on a map 165 years ago perhaps are not meant to be there indefinitely.’
‘At what stage in our history do we question that and say, ‘Maybe we can move that. Maybe it would make sense’.’
Katter said the core debate should be whether North Queensland’s distinct communities could be governed more successfully with greater autonomy.
LNP senator Matt Canavan has also argued a new North Queensland state could act as an economic catalyst, forcing governments to compete for residents, investment and jobs.
In a 2024 Courier-Mail opinion piece, Canavan argued Australia’s federation had become stagnant and that new states could encourage economic reform and development outside the major capitals.
‘New states would reinvigorate our Federation and our whole nation.’
‘We can’t keep Australia wealthy by just relying on being the lucky country. We have to make our own luck and new state governments would get into the business of making that happen for the benefit of all Australians.’
Join the discussion
Are North Queensland’s unique needs met, or does it deserve its own state to thrive?
