I urge you all to have your say OR 'like' comments you agree too

i urge you all to have your say OR if you don't want to comment, could spend 5 min's and 'like' all the comments you agree too. (there's not that many at the moment).
thanks.

Shane Knuth MP & I are uniting in an agressive attack at the Qld Gov, following confirmation that a seriously ill child has contracted the deadly Lyssavirus from a flying fox. Our sympathies go to the family.

The Queensland Government has sat idly by & underestimated the seriousness of the bat crisis.

It is time the Government stops dodging, weaving & hiding from the issue and put the quality life of people first before bats.

Marion Barnes Thank god we have Bob Katter to stand up and have a social conscience
Morgan James Davies There should be an open season declared on the filthy flying rats.
Charmaine Everett Why do animals have more rights than People?
Donna Oneill Disgusting happened in Maclean in northern nsw too ... They were living in the trees at the school no one would do a thing. Sounds like someone should just shoot them really wake up. Nothing is more important than are children and human life
Peter Morris Yeah shoot the filthy critters
Stacey Budby Go Bob!!
Robert Bird You shouldn't talk about yourself like that PeterPeter Morris
Elizabeth James we need Bob Katter in NSW...
Marion Barnes We need him here in Victoria...
Frankie Ward We need him all over Australia
Mathew Muscat It's all about $$$$$
Australia Awake The Newman LNP govt heed to the Greens who put pests before people.
Jon Bensted Good on you bob...you have warned them and warned them but nothing happens!!
Trent Kelly Too many pollies look at things from a "city" point of view. It's not until you get out into the regional areas that you get the full picture of what's really going on in this country. The decisions that are being made are so short sighted and generally only made to last a term of government for the next party to deal with. Good on you Bob, Aidon and party for standing your ground and caring enough for this country as a whole not just urban centres. Let's hope enough people have the sense to vote KAP this next election.
TJ Norton Have a crack at Labor MP Jackie Trad who moved a disallowance motion (although it failed with ease) to prevent the Newman Govt's new law allowing the cull of flying fixes that threaten the agricultural industry and our lives
TJ Norton Flying foxes
James Subo Watson Yearly kull keep them undercontrol
Bernice Lock-Wallace My dad nearly died.....bout time something was done about them
Jarrat Cullen Bring Me The Bat Man!!
Jon Bensted Bobs my dad
Vicki Slavin I was visiting over 10yrs ago,and I had never seen so many,so this comes as no surprise,it was bound to happen
Michael J Patch Bob for PM in September
Ethan Dane Nielsen I hope that offer you made to buy me and my mates slingshots to get flying foxs is still on the table Bob were keen and ready
Michael Smith Look up the facebook page, Bernard Gaynor Bigot
Joel Moran Ill take 6 sling shots there bob.
Gloria Escott The flying foxes have got out of hand and now with this poor little 8yr old in a coma in hospital it's about time the Govt.did something serious about them,not just a limited cull but a much larger cull.It needs Australians to get behind Bob Katter and vote for him in September as he is the only one with guts to stand up against the Govt.I'd like to see him as P.M.
Tim Quinlan What would we do if a child pooped on a bat and the bat got sick, The do gooders would be calling for the child's removal from the situation . So remove the Bats People.
Kel Bunyan Cull the bats, we have lost our way too many reasons why we can not things these days. Good on ya Bob
Jim Cornwell Amazing how so many of bob Bob Katter issues are coming up.
Bish Racing We have a colony right beside our Intergraded Child Care Centre @ Sylvanvale Foundation Kirrawee NSW still waiting for Sutherland Council to implement plane to remove.
Suck eggs bat haters. No bats = no trees but I guess it is all a bit beyond you lot. For heavens sake, biro tops kill more people each year than bats ever will. This poor child is is seriously ill and all you people want is blood and revenge on an essential native species. Shame on the lot of you. If you don't touch bats you have nothing to fear from them. Less than 0.5% of the free living bat population carry ABLV at any one time and those that do die very quickly. Any educated person knows that you can't contract Hendra from a bat. Bat carers are living proof of this fact. Fear the horse not the bat. ALL bat populations are in serious decline and go ahead a rejoice but it is your grandchildren who will pay the price for this generations ignorance. We need our bats to keep our hardwood forests healthy and diverse. Waste of time even trying but that is the truth.
Paisley Cooper Bats do get savage
Indira Devi There is heaps in a particular area in Parramatta and during the guava season my fruit tree cops it too.
Mr Katter - surely the 1700 deaths on roads per year should be given consideration of something being done - 1700 deaths per year that is Mr Katter - 3 cases of Lyssavirus in 20 years - Cars kill, Horses kill people every year Mr Katter, Cats kill people every year Mr Katter, lets remove everything that kills Mr Katter!!!! What about murderers?
Andy Devine What 'crisis' Mr.Katter? The only 'crisis' is the perpetuation of the human species!

February 18 at 3:36pm · Like · 5
Andy Devine and GUNS don't KILL, PEOPLE kill PEOPLE!
Andy Devine Try hitting on a few subjects that really MATTER to the majority of Australians Mr.Katter such as the preponderance of 457 visas being issued to people who should never be allowed into this country.
MEDIA RELEASE - Bob Katter (responses in brackets)

Government makes deadly mistake underestimating bat crisis

(Mr Katter; half the world going bankrupt was a crisis. Flooding in Brisbane and the Lockyer Valley was a crisis. Bushfires across multiple states was/is a crisis. There is no such thing as a ‘bat crisis’ – it’s all in your head)

15 February 2013: KAP Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter and Member for Dalrymple Shane Knuth have united in an aggressive attack at the Qld Government, following confirmation that a seriously ill child has contracted the deadly Lyssavirus from a flying fox.

(This has not yet been ascertained Bob. We do know from initial tests that this case is lyssavirus. We do not yet know if the origin was from flying-fox or insect-eating microbat, so unless you are privy to something they do not know, please bite your tongue and allow Queensland Health to conclude testing.)

Mr Katter said the Qld Government had sat idly by and foolishly underestimated the seriousness of the flying fox crisis.

(See above comments regarding ‘crisis’)

“In 2011 we had dogs test positive. In 2012 we had horses test positive. We have continually pushed the Government for bat culling and it still hasn’t happened. This is about as serious as it gets now.

(‘dog’; singular. Not ‘dogs’. Horses have never been documented as having tested positive to lyssavirus. I think you may be having a seniors’ moment here somewhere and getting confused? “As serious as it gets”… Oh please Bob stop being such a drama queen. Two people having died from lyssavirus since 1996 is hardly ‘as serious as it gets’. If you wish to contribute constructively to a ‘serious’ situation, perhaps you can use your influence to do something about lowering the tragic road toll. 1700 deaths a year on our roads. If you are as mathematically challenged as your inane comments suggest, that is 28,900 deaths since 1996. I would suggest that is a far more serious issue. Voters drive Bob, and so do familys grieving the loss of loved ones.)

“They already know that more than 120 people died of Nipah disease carried from flying foxes on the Malay Peninsula; that more than 700 people in China died from SARS; and that in Qld, seven people have contracted Hendra virus and four have died.

(What has Nipah got to do with Australia? Wrong continent. Your statement on SARS is silly and irrelevant. SARS is spread via droplet infection from human to human. Ref: Centre for Disease Control Atlanta. Mr Katter, do you ever even bother with the most basic of research before engaging your voice? Hendra virus [which this unfortunate child does not have] is only transmitted to humans from infected horses. Ref: Q Health & Center for Disease Control Atlanta.)
“All this is attributed directly and indirectly to bats – such as the deadly Lyssavirus (from which two reported human deaths have occurred in Australia) being carried by an estimated nine per cent of North Qld bats.

(Where on earth did that ridiculous statement come from? See above comments about doing research before opening mouth.)

“In a recent examination of the bats, 30 per cent (of the bats) tested positive with Lyssavirus.

(What examination Bob? Where did you pluck that completely false and deliberately inflammatory figure from? See above comments about doing research before opening mouth.)

“It is a virus that has been seriously underestimated, overlooked and disregarded by the Government. It may not be highly contagious but it is contagious and that makes it a serious concern”.

(Bob, I beg to differ. The Queensland government (and associated health services) take all potential cases very seriously; hence thorough reporting, testing and rapid administration of post-exposure prophylaxis to anyone bitten or scratched by a bat. You need to get out more; visit a health professional – you may learn something. Contagious and infectious as terms are separated in medical use. Contagious literally means ‘communicable by contact’. Infectious diseases that spread from person to person are said to be contagious. Lyssavirus is spread via infected saliva entering a nerve. You cannot spread lyssavirus via contact. It is not contagious. The word you may therefore be searching for is ‘infectious’? )

Having followed the bat crisis closely since the beginning, Mr Knuth says the Queensland Government is now running now against the clock in taking action.

(Enter Mr Knuth stage right. Shane & Bob… there is no bat crisis – just vital pollination, seed dispersal and an estimated $5 billion benefit to the Australian timber industry alone; annually. And … the bats help keep your timber workers in jobs for free. “Clock is ticking”… what clock? The only clock ticking here is the urgent need to reinforce education [on several issues])

“This is a ticking time bomb and our sympathies go to the family, however government policy is forcing us to live with this very serious virus risk.

(Guess you are attempting metaphors here? Bats do not buy ammonium nitrate and diesel on eBay. Bob… Australian Bat Lyssavirus is an incredibly rare disease. Bats do not tick and native animals in decline are not bombs. What is needed here is better education, and I humbly suggest that the first Australian [who obviously needs better education] is YOU!)

“It is time that the Government stops dodging, weaving and hiding from the issue and put the quality of life of people first before bats.
(It clearly does… despite best advice on animal welfare and conservation issues, the Newman government re-introduced inhumane shooting to please a minority of Queenslanders.)
“I challenge the State Government to take action”.

(So do I… Here is an action plan: Stop inhumane and ineffective shooting and start pushing for better protection of these native animals which are so vital to our ecosystems, tourism and multiple industries.)

[ENDS]

(Final note: Mr Katter, I find it utterly appalling that you seek to blatantly profit from this unfortunate family’s grief and worry at this terrible time in their lives to furnish your own hatred-driven agenda. Shame on you Bob.
Looking at some of the stunningly ignorant comments here amongst Bob supporters, I can understand why Bob has not and never will have any influence in parliament. No bats = no forests = no oxygen. Go figure people. Get it into context and lose the hate. Listeriosis from infected cheese has already killed 3 aussies and infects 1600 US citizens a year (20% of whom die). There is no bat crisis - just a cheese crisis. Google listeriosis bat haters
Tim Rowbottom Bats only eat the fruit humans plant because humans have destroyed the native vegetation the bats prefer to eat. When will people learn that trying to eradicate a species from an ecosystem is always a bad idea and most often has nasty unforseen consequences detrimental to humans themselves. Stop getting sucked in to fear mongering and think for yourselves people. Oh and yes children are the most important thing, I have four daughters myself and I would like them to see these amazing creatures flying in the air not in a book of extinct species.
Sonja Elwood Bob's an idiot and perpetuates ignorance and red-necked behaviour .... if people are so worried - get vaccinated - too simple. Statistically you are more likely to be hit by a bus, eaten by a shark, struck by lightening or killed by cheese as pointed out above ....
Billie Paper-only Mac grow a brain bob!
Diane Teasdale Come on Dave. No Bats = No Forests = No Oxygen. You really shouldn't smoke that stuff.
Michael Smith Hooray, Bernard gaynor has resigned
Elaine Murray michael and why?Do you think everyone has to agree with you on gay marriage?Seriously Michael, there are more important things to worry about, than gay marriage, i don't agree with it, as you well know and i am not the only one
Elaine Murray Michael and we should be able to say what we think, this is supposed to be a free country, if i don't like something i will say so
Elaine Murray And you do all the time, yet , only if someone disagrees with you, you call them names?not right sorry
Dianne, which part did you not understand? Read the science coming out of Hawaii. As fruit bats near extinction there, we have the first signs of complete forest collapse. As fruit bats are largely responsible for forest pollination between the tropics of cancer and capricorn - globally - fruit bat extinction would result in human extinction. And... I do not smoke weed
Paul Henley You bloody doodle bashers no one is expounding extermination of the species they are not a native species they migrated across the Wallace line and stayed they are a recent newcomer. The bats in question here have inhabited a built up area and have near destroyed the jewel if charters towers that being Lisner park totally man made for the peaceful enjoyment of the residents and visiting humans not a roosting place for bats in plague proportions. Over 60000 of them at one stage and their sheer weight broke massive branches on 100 year and more fig trees . Now a child has died of the virus that these pests carry similar in effect to rabies. As I said you bloody idiot bat freaks no one is suggesting extermination of them simply wipe out the plague of them in built up areas like Charters Towers. Most of you clowns have probably had to suffer from the pain of nurturing trees over a 15 or 16 year period in a dry and poor soiled area such as the Towers to see them killed by a thousand or more bats that decide to take up residents displacing at least 7 species of birds and wrecking MY habitat You bloody tossers wake up to yourselves. Flying fixes are in plague proportions and are a menace to humans and the most effective way to control them is with super fine pest shot delivered at high speed with a shot gun and a fast dog to dispatch any wounded ones that hit the ground
Paul Henley O and by the way you geographically and flora distribution challenged bat babies. Heed this well there is no frigging rain forest within the feeding range of the flying foxes which are resident in charters towers so shove your rain forest argument right up your Clackers
Diane Teasdale Diane. Dave it is D I A N E Diane
Of dear Paul. Show the world your ignorance. All 4 mainland species are native. The tropics of cancer and capricorn actually extend beyond charters towers. Look it up. The bats in Charters Towers (little reds) are responsible for outcrossing pollinatio...See More