“The gloves are coming right off now,” he said. “I don’t care whether they’re born here or not, if you have anti-Australian sentiments, get the hell out of my country.”
When Bavas pushed the point, asking Katter about immigrants to Australia with “good values”, the federal MP doubled down.
Bob Katter confronts Nine News reporter Josh Bavas.Credit: Nine News
“Just look, don’t say that – I don’t say that because you’re a racist. You’re a racist,” he said, standing inches from Bavas and shaking a fist in his face.
Other journalists spoke up to support Bavas, but Katter said the reporter did not have the right to ask “a racist question which implies racism”.
“I’m not going to answer it, and I don’t consider him a proper Australian – a fair-minded Australian,” Katter said.
Bavas said it was not fair for a journalist to be interrupted mid-question and threatened, while deputy state party leader Nick Dametto stepped in to defend Katter.
“You’ve offended Mr Katter, so I think he has every intention of being just as offensive back,” Dametto said.
Later on Thursday, Bavas told this masthead he had not experienced a similar reaction from an elected representative in nearly 20 years of journalism.
“In an extraordinary press conference where a federal parliamentarian was talking about taking names on lists and deportation of residents, I was trying to ask a question about the value migrant Australian families, including the Katters and my own family, bring to this nation through shared values,” Bavas said.
Nine executive director of news and current affairs Fiona Dear said the company fully supported Bavas, and would “continue to report without fear or favour”.
“He was just doing his job. Mr Katter’s aggressive behaviour and threats were unacceptable,” Dear said.
“His baseless and offensive accusation of racism is an irresponsible attempt to shut down a legitimate line of questioning and warrants a public apology from Mr Katter.”
Bob Katter’s office declined to answer a question about whether he regretted making the threat, and Queensland state MP Robbie Katter’s office had not yet responded to the question of whether he considered his father’s actions appropriate.
In a statement posted to social media earlier on Thursday, the federal MP demanded an apology, adding, “to be seen as anything other than Australian is highly insulting to me”.
“I am a proud Australian. It shouldn’t matter when you got here, how you got here, or how long you’ve been here … If you live by our laws, our values, and fight for our way of life, you are an Australian,” he wrote.
The planned March for Australia rally in Brisbane is expected to be one of six such rallies across the country, promoting an end to supposed mass migration and a ban on foreign flags.
It has triggered widespread condemnation and stoked fears among migrants.
The Behaviour Code for Australian Parliamentarians – which covers MPs regardless of whether they are at Parliament House on official business – lists bullying and harassment as prohibited behaviours that could lead to sanctioning. Complaints against parliamentarians can be investigated by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission.
Parliamentarians are sworn to treat all those they come into contact within the course of their work with “dignity, courtesy, fairness and respect”.
The Parliamentary Workplace Support Service would not comment on whether a complaint or referral to the commission had been made regarding Katter’s conduct.
Teal independent MP Sophie Scamps, who sits alongside Katter on the crossbench, said he had crossed the line and breached the behaviour code.
“I don’t care if you are the King of England or Bob Katter, you can’t be raising your fist at a journalist, particularly when you hold a position of such power and authority,” she said.
Another crossbench colleague, Zali Steggall, said: “Any threat of violence, in particular to a journalist doing their job, is unacceptable and unbecoming a member of parliament, and should be withdrawn.”
Opposition defence spokesperson Angus Taylor said it was not the way to deal with media.
“The media has an enormously important role to play to make sure that there’s accountability and transparency in our democracy, and that means we need to respect the important role you play,” he told journalists.
“We don’t always agree with you, but that doesn’t mean that we should behave in that kind of way to you.”
Get alerts on significant breaking news as it happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.