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Katter logic ‘an oxymoron’

By on September 7, 2011

Federal Queensland Independent MP Bob Katter has claimed that Australia’s population will nosedive if same-sex marriage is legalised, in a letter to former Australian Medical Association president Kerryn Phelps.

Phelps wrote to Katter on August 16 after he said same-sex marriages should be “ridiculed” at the Marriage Day rally in the Great Hall of Parliament.

Phelps, who married partner Jackie Stricker-Phelps in a religious ceremony in New York in 1998, wrote to Katter to express her shock at the comments.

“I explained that I couldn’t understand why he would seek to have my long-term, committed and mutually interdependent relationship with my life partner treated as an object of ridicule,” Phelps told the Star Observer.

“I asked how he would feel having a public figure address a group of fellow Australians in the presence of media to exhort them to ridicule his relationship with his wife.

“I asked him to consider that there are diverse ways of finding happiness in the world and, for me, it was finding my soulmate and marrying her and that legal protection under the Marriage Act for us was extremely important.”

Two days later Phelps received a response from Katter’s office.

“Bob understands people are entitled to lead the lives they choose, and his choice to lead a life with Christian values includes his opposition to homosexuality and his support for the institution of natural marriage and families,” a spokeswoman wrote.

“Bob wants to see the Australian population grow, not diminish as in Western societies where the traditional ‘pair bond’ of marriage between a man and a woman is in decline.”

Phelps called Katter’s logic “strange”.

“It’s, dare I say, an oxymoron to say that we’re free to choose but then deny us choice,” Phelps said.

“If he wants to see the Australian population grow, not diminish, then he should be very happy about the lesbian baby boom.”

Katter’s office sent Phelps a more conciliatory letter on September 1 reaffirming his opposition but explaining that “gay people are … valuable members of our society”.

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15 Comments

  1. Murly

    September 7, 2011 at 9:50 am


    Katter is so embarrassing he is shameful.

  2. @

    September 7, 2011 at 10:01 am


    never heard of this ‘Katter’ bloke until he opened his mouth and trashed us… sounds like a weak limp dicked MP headline grabbing… unless he ends up caugh by the cops in a public loo with a rent boy he’ll be forgotten like all the rest…

    its a very pretty hat tho!

  3. lindsay moffat

    September 7, 2011 at 11:14 am


    Wow, I think katter just dug himself into a grave there, first sayong its wrong and shouldn’t be allowed then going ahead to say that we are valuable members of society. Moron much katter?

  4. Dave Canberra

    September 7, 2011 at 11:22 am


    Pardon me, so let’s see if I have got this right if my partner and I get married heterosexuals will become infertile as a result, novel Bob.

    Suggestion, Maybe its time to take more water with it, and or spend far less time out in the sun because something is rotting what’s left of your brain Bob.

  5. Mr. S

    September 7, 2011 at 11:26 am


    The way I see it is as follows,
    For one, Bob is an idiot and likes to speak his mind a bit more than what he should, but I think he would be rather reluctant to say any of that face to face, he is rather weak.
    Also, why is it so bad that there is a slight population reduction? in Australia there is a massive “shortage” of available land for housing, the rest of the world is over populated as it is, and other than the tiniest of minority of “rich” people, the rest of us struggle just to make ends meet. There are far more important issues in this world, and indeed Australia, so perhaps he should open his eyes a little, set his own little insignificant personal agenda against gays aside, and take a look at what really matters to his community, and the rest of this country.

  6. Belinda

    September 7, 2011 at 1:14 pm


    sooooooo…..
    if gay marriage is legalised, “formally straight” people will change teams and give up on hopes of a family???
    interesting outlook bob!

  7. James Newburrie

    September 7, 2011 at 1:34 pm


    Would someone ask Dr Phelps if it was Narelle Hine, Mr. Katter’s media advisor who wrote the letter? :)

  8. DazS

    September 7, 2011 at 4:14 pm


    This guys human morals and ideals are becoming boring.

    How often more do we have to tantalise the out spoken morals of this man??

    The publicity he has already received is ridiculous, and all while using tax payers dollars; payed by us.

    He is paid to do a representing role for ALL AUSTRALIAN’s!!

    Unless he is representing another Australia else where in the universe, this Meritocracy type should, shut it.

    His obvious likes to pull the political stings, too much.

    All of this while he is in this balance of control as a independent (originally apparently), stopping another election for Australia.

  9. Andy

    September 7, 2011 at 5:46 pm


    Bob Katter talks about family values, but gives hate speaches against unborn children, and denied even his brothers existance.

    So I have to ask, is getting others to kill your family, your flesh and blood, an example of what anyone wants Australia to become?

    Bob needs to look at his son and his partner a bit closer before he dooms him, along with us.

  10. Liz

    September 7, 2011 at 6:05 pm


    Well the argument that the Australian population will diminish if same sex marriage is legalised is invalid anyway. Australian households arent reproducing enough to keep the population from dropping with out gay marriage already. It’s only because of immigration that our population is expanding at all. Many more gay couples would probably reproduce if they had the legal stability of being married.

  11. Karen

    September 7, 2011 at 6:44 pm


    Every time Katter sits on his arse he gets brain strain….seriously what a useless tool he is.

  12. Michelle

    September 7, 2011 at 7:00 pm


    James, My partner got a reply back from Bob Katter similar to the second reply – it was signed off from ‘Alice’ (Electorate Officer).

  13. Luke

    September 8, 2011 at 12:01 am


    I’m 26, childfree and don’t want to get hitched.

    So… given that technically I’m directly affecting the population MORE than ANY freaking Gay or Lesbian who wishes to get married, where’s Katter’s little hatespeech to me?

    Getting a little jealous over here… Hrmph..

  14. Sharon

    September 8, 2011 at 6:55 am


    Perhaps Mr Katter should consider allowing the gay and lesbian population to marry so they can adopt or foster the thousands of children who are abused and neglected by their careless straight parents? Love and stability are two very basic human rights. This is taught in primary school social studies.

  15. Lamont Cranston

    September 8, 2011 at 9:43 am


    how will it cause people to not have children?

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