Stephanie Dale<\/a><\/p>\n28 August 2013<\/p>\n
Paul Hunter is a hard political nut to crack.<\/p>\n
I put it down to the fact he’s a disciplined man, an army man, a focussed-on-the-upcoming-election man.<\/p>\n
We meet outside the pre-polling booth in Beenleigh’s George Street, where Hunter splits his time between me and the pre-pollsters wandering in to cast an early vote.<\/p>\n
I find it remarkable that not once in 40 minutes is he distracted enough by our conversation to miss an opportunity to introduce himself to a potential voter.<\/p>\n
Unlike other newbie Forde candidates, Hunter’s not chatty about his own life, not past, present or future – unless the conversation relates to jobs, farms and small business.<\/p>\n
And like another Forde candidate, more famous than he, Hunter does not live in the electorate – not yet. Like former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie he plans to move in if he’s elected.<\/p>\n
At the moment Hunter – who is Bob Katter’s man in Forde – lives in Enoggera, 40 minutes up the M1 in suburban Brisbane.<\/p>\n
Hunter resigned from the army three weeks ago to give the election everything he’s got.<\/p>\n
I ask why he chose Forde for his candidacy.<\/p>\n
“Demographics,” he says simply.<\/p>\n
“My primary concern is youth unemployment – jobs and hope for the future.<\/p>\n
“Katter already had a candidate for Ryan (his home electorate). Forde has really high unemployment, particularly among young people, and that’s the area where I want to make a difference.”<\/p>\n
Hunter has harboured a desire to enter politics for years. This year, he knew his time had come.<\/p>\n
“I decided to run about four months ago,” he says.<\/p>\n
“I had no interest in either of the major parties – their policies are threatening our entire social fabric.<\/p>\n
“I was talking to a slaughterman the other day who went for a job at an abattoir – he was told they weren’t hiring Australians.<\/p>\n
“Our farms are being sold off, our factories are closing down and young jobseekers have a look of desperation in their eyes.<\/p>\n
“The major parties sign free trade agreements that allow people and corporations in other countries equal rights to purchase our businesses and farms.<\/p>\n
“The future wealth of Australia lies in food production, not mining.”<\/p>\n
And that brings us to ‘why Katter’?<\/p>\n
“I looked about for the party that best matched my beliefs,” he says.<\/p>\n
“Katter had the best policies. And even though a small party makes it a lot harder to get elected, I had to go with what I believed.<\/p>\n
“I don’t want to be a career politician for someone else’s beliefs.”<\/p>\n
Hunter darts off to hand a flyer to a potential voter.<\/p>\n
He’s right on message:\u00a0 “. . . save Australian farms and jobs before there’s nothing left to feed ourselves with,” he says.<\/p>\n
A pair of bright young sparks handing out ALP how-to-vote cards mumble under their breath: “If you’re interested in food security you might wanna address climate change,” says one.<\/p>\n
His friend replies: “When the seas swallow us up we might be glad we bought those Indonesian boats.”<\/p>\n
Hunter returns to our conversation and his themes: Australian jobs, Australian land in Australian hands.<\/p>\n
“People don’t realise that Katter has urban policies as well as rural policies,” he says.<\/p>\n
“Small business is the biggest employer in the country – we’ll be reintroducing tariffs to protect Australian manufacturing and farming.”<\/p>\n
I cast about for personal insights into the man who wants to win the trust of the people of Forde, but the Katter candidate is by nature resolute, private, a man with a mission.<\/p>\n
I ask if he has any pets: “A dog and two birds I inherited when my daughter moved home again.”<\/p>\n
I ask what he does on weekends: “Gardening, ball sports, fishing.”<\/p>\n
He volunteers that he loves soccer, but ‘gave up at 50 because bits got too old’.<\/p>\n
“Which bit,” I quip.<\/p>\n
“My hip,” he replies.<\/p>\n
I ask how he rates his chances of winning the seat.<\/p>\n
“I’m confident we (the Katter Party) are going to boost our numbers in the House of Representatives – and we’ll pick up a couple of Senate seats,” he says.<\/p>\n
“This year, the major parties shouldn’t be counting on more than two seats in the Senate.”<\/p>\n
He grins as we shake hands to end the interview.<\/p>\n
“You didn’t ask about my wife,” he says.<\/p>\n
I laugh: ‘That’s your call,” I say. “Why do you think I asked about your pets?”<\/p>\n
“Well I’ve been happily married for 28 years and my wife’s been campaigning with me.<\/p>\n
“We’re a two-man band on the campaign trail in Forde.”
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![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nofibs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/hunter-e1377686425652.jpg?resize=600%2C450\")
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