The Katter Australia Party (KAP) has lodged a motion with the Queensland Parliament to keep cash as legal tender.
The motion called on the state to mandate all government offices accept cash as a legal method of payment. In addition, it condemned any move by local or federal governments to move towards cashlessness.
The notice said “cash is legal tender accepted in Queensland” and “openly supports the rights to use cash as a lawful form of payment throughout Queensland.”
Ahead of the motion, the KAP tried to emphasise the message by dressing up as royalty.
Speaking in the Parliament, Mr. Katter spoke out for older and regional Australians, along with the disadvantaged. He also drew attention to recent local disasters in north Queensland which would impact the use of electronic payment systems.
“It is a fact that the biggest users of cash are the elderly, those on a low income and those in rural and remote areas, so that is why we feel so strongly about this,” Mr. Katter said.
“We were very much reminded about this during some of the local disasters we suffered in the north this last season. When things go down—or even when our telecommunications are working in normal circumstances—it becomes very difficult for us to trade up there without cash.
In addition, Mr. Katter drew attention to the social credit system in Beijing and warned about the dangers of going down the path of George Orwell’s 1984 if the situation wasn’t addressed.
“They have social credits there and if you play up—if you jaywalk, for example—all of a sudden, bang, money is taken out of your account. It can be an unforgiving system. We move straight down the path of George Orwell’s 1984,” he said.
“That is the extreme example of where this can land if it is not nipped in the bud right now.”
KAP Member for Hinchinbrook Nick Dametto said “cash is king.”
“That is how some of us do business. If someone in the bush wants to very quickly go and buy some hay from next door and they have 20 grand in cash, then you can go over and buy their hay—they have it in their back pocket.”
Queensland Labor Transport Minister Bart Mellish supported part of the motion that said cash is legal tender and openly supported the right to use cash as a lawful form of payment throughout the state.
He also moved an amendment to insert a clause for the government to “provide an array of payment options, and work with Queenslanders to support their payment needs.”
“All Queenslanders should have the choice to use cash,” Mr. Mellish said.
Banks Raised As an Issue
During debate in the Queensland Parliament, Mr. Katter also raised concerns the big four banks who made “$32 billion (US$21 billion) in profit last year” were pushing for a cashless society.“Who is the big pusher of this? It is the banks. The big four banks made $32 billion in profit last year,” he said.
“Cash costs them a lot of money and it is an inconvenience for them to shift cash around. That is difficult for them. They are in there with government and they have so much influence over our governments in Australia.”
Mr. Katter drew attention to local bank closures by Bankwest and said “they need to be stopped,” saying it was “not enough to sit back and say that this is the market talking.”
Bankwest said 97 percent of transactions were now completed digitally and only 2 percent of customers visited a branch.
“It’s critical we prioritise investment for the majority of our customers who expect leading digital and broker banking services, and rarely use branches, but we have a clear focus on the needs of our regular branch users at this time,” Bankwest Executive General Manager Jason Chan said.
