What the world needs just now: a portrait of Bob Katter

Bob Katter has dressed as a pig to highlight profiteering during the cost of living crisis and the Grim Reaper to mark the closure of Australia's last Holden factory.

Now all eyes will be on what he might wear to pose for a portrait.

Parliament's little known House Memorials Committee convened in person on Tuesday for the first time in nearly half a century to discuss the weighty matter of commissioning a portrait of the colourful crossbencher.

Bob Katter dressed as a pig.
Bob Katter (left) dressed as a pig to highlight the market dominance of the big supermarkets.

The man who once declared he was in favour of letting a thousand blossoms bloom in the nation's bedrooms but voted no to marriage equality might be soon peering down on parliamentarians scurrying through the corridors to vote for years to come.

The memorials committee was founded before the First World War and is composed of the prime minister and opposition leader of the day plus the presiding and other officers of the two houses.

In May, the house speaker, Milton Dick, wrote to the prime minister requesting approval to commission a one-off portrait of Mr Katter, the committee said.

“So much has changed over the decades in this Parliament - one of the rare constants has been Bob Katter's presence,"  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese.
Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese meet to discuss commissioning a portrait of Bob Katter.

"It's hard to imagine this place without him and commissioning his portrait is a way to ensure he will always be a visible and colourful part of Australia’s Parliament."

Portraits that have been commissioned by the committee as one-offs include those of Nova Peris, the first female Indigenous parliamentarian, and Linda Burney, the first female Indigenous member of the House of Representatives.

The member for Kennedy, who started his own party, Katter's Australian Party, has not made his views known about the intentions of the establishment in Australia's capital city but they could possibly be gleaned from past utterances. 

“There seems to be a complete vacuum on intelligence in Canberra, but you’d expect that from a town that has legalised marijuana", the big hat-wearing member of parliament was quoted saying last year.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store