Bob Katter referred to parliamentary standards commission over journo threat

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says parliamentary rogue Bob Katter should either “unreservedly apologise … or resign from politics” after the Queensland MP threatened a journalist during a press conference.

Senator Hanson-Young has also referred Mr Katter to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission (IPSC), stating his “behaviour towards a journalist who was in their workplace clearly constitutes unreasonable behaviour towards another person that creates a risk to worth health and safety”.

Separately, she also raised Mr Katter’s actions with Speaker Milton Dick, urging him to also refer Mr Katter to the IPSC, stating his “behaviour cannot go without repercussions”.

Mr Katter has stoked fury and widespread condemnation after he threatened to assault Nine journalist Josh Bavas after he quizzed the Kennedy MP on his Lebanese ancestry on Friday.

The Father of the House doubled down on his comments on Monday, telling The Sydney Morning Herald that his “only regret was I wasn’t more aggressive with him”.

“Far from apologising, I should have just kept going. I’ll leave to your imagination what that means,” he said.

Mr Katter has also threatened legal action against Nine over what he told The Courier Mail was a “blatant racist remark”.

Senator Hanson-Young urged politicians from “all sides of the political spectrum” to hold Mr Katter “to account”.

She said Mr Katter should either “unreservedly apologise to Josh Bavas or resign from parliament”.

“The threat on Friday was bad enough but to have now doubled down on it and said he should have been ‘more aggressive’ is unthinkable for someone in public life,” she said.

Senator Hanson-Young cautioned the “standard you walk past is the standard you accept” and said the maverick MP’s behaviour was “clearly unacceptable”.

“Mr Katter has doubled down because he hasn’t received any sanction. He seems to think that the normal rules of respectful engagement don’t apply to him. This is not OK,” she said.

While he put a question to Anthony Albanese during question time on Monday, Mr Katter was not present during the chamber on Tuesday.