Provocative moment Bob Katter goes wild about vapes being BAN – claiming Australia is the ‘most restrictive society on earth’: ‘You have no right to curtail people’s freedoms’
- Queensland MP Bob Katter said he wants “a freer society”.
- He does not want to pass legislation that ‘bans everything’
Bob Katter has launched calls to ban vaping, saying Australia is ‘the most restrictive society on the planet’.
The Queensland MP was responding to a question on ABC’s Q&A program on Monday about what is being done to ensure e-cigarettes are not being marketed as safe alternatives to smoking, particularly for young people.
“Every time we have a problem, we go out and pass legislation and start throwing people in jail or punishing them, and I long for a freer society, a lot more freedom,” he said.
“As for (vaping), if it’s wrong, it’s bad and you ban it. If not, you have no right to restrict people’s freedoms.’
Mr Katter lashed out at the federal Labor government, saying he was ‘unwilling to pass legislation outlawing everything every 10 minutes’.
Queensland MP Bob Katter reacted strongly to a public question about what is being done to ensure that e-cigarettes and vaping products are not marketed as safe alternatives to smoking, particularly for young people (stock image)
“We live in the most restrictive society on Earth, and I don’t say that lightly.”
Assistant Minister of Rural and Regional Health Emma McBride had previously spoken of working with state and territorial governments to come up with a national vaping plan.
But Mr. Katter scoffed at the idea and said, “We’re going to investigate. That’s all we ever do, is investigate.’
He said when he was a minister in the Queensland government as a National Member of Parliament under Prime Minister Joh Bjelke-Petersen, things were very different.
“I was in the cabinet room when the prime minister said, ‘If you can’t make a decision, get out of this room,'” he said, adding that they were not a government.to have an investigation whenever a problem arises’.
“With all due respect, the minister is a nice lady, but if you can’t make a decision then get out of the way and please let someone else rule Australia.”
Mrs. McBride stepped in and said, “What we need to do is make sure what we’re doing is safe.”
But the veteran Queenslander was unimpressed, saying: ‘That’s what you always have to do and we never get around to doing anything’.
Assistant Minister of Rural and Regional Health Emma McBride (pictured) spoke of working with state and territory governments to come up with a national vaping plan
When Q&A host Stan Grant asked ‘What should be done (about vaping)’, Mr Katter stepped back and seemed to agree that some sort of investigation was needed.
“I don’t know enough about the subject to judge whether it’s bad or should be banned,” he said.
One of the show’s other guests, musician John Williamson, had a very blunt answer when asked what is being done to protect young people.
“It is clear that these tobacco companies are killing our children,” he said.