Kat in the hat scores half-century as a politician

A missile shield across northern Australia and training school kids in how to use rifles are just a couple of Bob Katter's policy ideas that may never see the light of day. The renegade veteran MP is celebrating 50 consecutive years in public office. He spent 20 years as a Queensland state MP before serving the past three decades in federal parliament as the MP for the regional electorate of Kennedy. There's not too much former Queensland premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have in common, but Mr Katter was part of each parliament in between Mr Katter spruiked a number of records he held - although none of them good, the renegade MP joked. He spent six years at university without a degree, was expelled twice from one school, remained qualified to move from a sergeant to an officer in the army reserves for 10 years without doing so and was the longest-serving Queensland parliament backbencher. Mr Katter thanked his wife, Suzie, who attended a ceremony at federal parliament on Monday, alongside his five children and several grandchildren. "I picked out the best-looking sheila at the university and, of course, me being me, she couldn't help herself," he said to a chorus of laughter. Mr Albanese and lower house Speaker Milton Dick gifted the Queensland MP a book of all his speeches from parliament. Mr Katter's father was also the member for Kennedy between 1966 and 1990, while his son Robbie was first elected to the Queensland state parliament in 2012. "Wherever I've been with Bob in his electorate, that passion that he has really shows," Mr Albanese said. "The truth is, he's seen governments come and go. In that time, new political parties have been born, some of them don't exist anymore and he has continued, and he's continued in a consistent way."