Bob Katter

It looks like Bob Katter is getting too big for his boots. As he swaggered into Canberra yesterday in his big hat, the Queensland Independent was hit with the accusation that he threatened to kill ex-Liberal MP Peter Lindsay at an airport altercation in May this year. Lindsay was so frightened by the incident, that police provided him with a three-person escort after he and Katter arrived together on a Qantas flight into Brisbane.

In a written statement, Lindsay says Katter confronted him at the airport on the afternoon of 30 May. Katter told Lindsay "You Liberals are slimy dogs and are the lowest of the low". Katter walked away but came back for another serve. "He said he would have me killed and he better believe it because he could make that happen". I took him seriously Lindsay said. A third person heard parts of the conversation and his mobile phone number was provided to police.

Katter laughed it off saying "That is absolute rubbish, the Federal police never spoke to me, that's how seriously it was taken. If you want to make a storm in a teacup out of it my friend, good luck to you, it doesn't interest me one way or another". Asked whether he believed Mr Lindsay would make up the allegations, Katter said "I don't want to call him a liar. Peter and I had some hot words at an airport and that was the end of it".

Mmmmmm, Bob Katter is obviously enjoying being in the limelight as one of three Independents playing God in our hung parliament and it's not a good look - the word hubris comes to mind. You know what we do to tall poppies, especially politicians with big egos, and although he's an old hand in the bear pit of Canberra, he'd better watch out.