Katter said the three days of hearings heard testimony into the issues of chronic unemployment, criminal recidivism and unbearable socio-economic disadvantage being experienced within Indigenous communities.

But the painful insights revealed during hearings in Mount Isa, Palm Island and Yarrabah to discuss the KAP’s Working with Children Amendment Bill 2021 were not enough to rouse the interest of Labor’s Cairns and Townsville MPs last week, he said.

“I have just returned from these hearings, which were extremely insightful and well-represented by mayors, councilors and other local leaders and community members who were crying out for help on that issue,” Katter said.

“There was widespread support for the Bill and its intent, and the unworkability of the current system was laid bare in relation to not only job prospects, but also volunteering roles and kinship and family care arrangements in these regions.

“It is unfathomable that the north’s Labor MPs apparently prefer to attend First Nations treaty ceremonies in Brisbane, where there is a press pack and plenty of photo opportunities, than to actually sit and listen to the Indigenous representatives in their communities.”

Katter is proposing amendments to the ‘Blue Card’ system, which governs who can work with children based on their personal record.

He said the system’s “one size fits all” approach was locking many Indigenous people out of work because it was rejecting their applications on the basis of petty or dated criminal history.

The KAP’s proposal wants assessment of Blue Card applications handed to local leaders, elders and other community representatives under a strict set of criteria.

“Despite only around 1.5 per cent of Blue Card applicants across Queensland being knocked back, around 20 per cent of all applications are denied in Queensland’s most remote Indigenous communities,” Katter said.

“Each knock-back represents a lost opportunity for an individual to turn their lives around and become productive members of society.”

Palm Island Mayor Mislam Sam said the Bill had his support, and that he estimated there were between 50-100 people on the island currently jobless directly due to be unable to secure a Blue Card.

“There is 80 per cent unemployment (here), but there are a lot of jobs,” he told the committee.

“No-one can fill these roles; the police service has been looking for PLOs (police liaison officers) for the last two years –$65,000 a year, four positions, cannot fill them.

“The education department is crying out for local staff as teacher aides; they cannot fill them.

“Selectability (mental health service) is crying out for local staff; they cannot fill those positions because they cannot find people with a blue card or a yellow card – simple little things.”

Yarrabah Mayor Ross Andrews said Blue Cards posed a significant barrier to employment in his community.

“Blue cards play a part in that as well in terms of getting our people off welfare and participating in the real economy,” he said to the visiting committee.

“There are challenges within the rules of government and how they play out, but there are also opportunities for our people to move forward on many of our challenges.”

Katter said he expected Lui to attend some of the hearings due to her electorate of Cook comprising high numbers of Indigenous communities.

He said he would continue to lobby Lui and her Labor colleagues to garner support for his Bill in their party room.

Lui has been contacted for comment.