Bob Katter says stripping his party of official status is nothing more than a misappropriation of funds by the Queensland government and Labor opposition.
Katter's Australian Party (KAP) was granted official party status by the Queensland parliament at 5pm (AEST) on Thursday, after Liberal National Party (LNP) MP Ray Hopper defected to its ranks on the weekend.
But at 7pm, the LNP government rushed legislation through parliament to deny KAP party status because not all its MPs had been elected as members of that party.
The legislation was backed by the Labor Party.
A furious Mr Katter said both the major parties had changed the laws to use parliamentary funds as a 'slush fund' for their own gain.
'The laws of the land said we were a party,' he told reporters on Friday.
'There is accumulating evidence now that the money (set aside for minor parties) is not being used for which it was appropriated.
'If you take that money and think it is a slush fund that you can use to provide carrot to your friends in the ALP and a stick to people you see as your enemies in the KAP, then I'm sorry my friend, that is misappropriation.'
