Bob Katter
A maverick in a broad-brimmed hat, he has been a loud, unpredictable voice for rural Queensland in Australian politics for half a century.
Born 1945 (age 81)·Australian politician·Birthday: May 22·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bob Katter was born into political life in the rugged, sprawling electorate of Kennedy in North Queensland, watching his father, also a federal MP, fight for the region's interests. He entered Queensland state politics in 1974 as a member of the National Party, serving as a minister in Joh Bjelke-Petersen's controversial government. Katter's politics have always been a volatile mix of social conservatism, fierce economic nationalism, and a deep, sometimes sentimental, advocacy for farmers and the bush. He broke from the Nationals in 2001 to form his own party, Katter's Australian Party, railing against free trade, supermarket duopolies, and what he sees as cultural decay. In parliament, he is known for fiery, theatrical speeches, his signature hat, and a voting record that defies easy left-right categorization, making him a persistent thorn in the side of major party leaders.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bob was born in 1945, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1945
#1 Movie
The Bells of St. Mary's
Best Picture
The Lost Weekend
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1945Born
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1950Started school
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1958Became a teenager
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Could drive
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1963Could vote
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Turned 21
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Turned 30
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 40
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 50
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 60
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 70
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 80
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 81 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a Queensland state minister for Mines and Energy, and for Northern Development under Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
- Founded Katter's Australian Party in 2011, establishing a persistent independent political force in Queensland.
- Has held the federal seat of Kennedy continuously since 1993, becoming Father of the House in 2022.
- Successfully advocated for the removal of mandatory ethanol in fuel in Queensland in the 2000s.
Did You Know?
He is a former professional rodeo rider.
His son, Robbie Katter, is also a politician and leads Katter's Australian Party in the Queensland Parliament.
He once said he owned 20 hats but only one suit.
He was expelled from the National Party in 2001 before forming his own party.
“We will fight to the last breath in our bodies for the right of people to own a gun in this country.”
