Muso tilts at power

By JONATHON HOWARD

CAPTION: Federal candidate for Maranoa, James Blundell, has flagged a range of promises in the fight for votes.

BOB Katter’s star Senate candidate, country singer James Blundell, says he will fight to lower small business penalty rates, to break the supermarket duopoly, and to scrap the carbon tax should he take power in the September election.
Mr Blundell, brother of Southern Downs Regional Council Mayor Peter Blundell, also said the political controversy over the gender wars, revived by Prime Minister Julia Gillard last week, was ridiculous.
“Gillard has been flogging the misogyny thing. It’s ridiculous,” he said.
Mr Blundell also said Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was “a very open minded man and yet he is pilloried in society”.
Polling suggests the balance in the Senate will change substantially after the 14 September election, putting minor party candidates like Mr Blundell, who pollsters say has a good chance of being elected in Queensland, potentially in a balance-of-power role.
Speaking at the family farm Mount Malakoff outside Stanthorpe last week, Mr Blundell said rural people and small businesses have suffered under the federal Labor government.
He said a good place to start was with the punishingly high penalty rates paid by small business, a position that is also supported by independent Senator Nick Xenophon.
“Stanthorpe gets a lot of tourism but you can hardly go and get a meal in the local town on the weekend because no one can put staff on because of the wages,” Mr Blundell said.
“They are just keeping the doors shut and that is a disaster.
“You can’t keep on demanding higher wages and conditions if they are outstripping the growth of the industry.”
ABC election analyst Antony Green said Mr Blundell, was “in the mix to win” a Senate seat.