Pauline Hanson has laid out her vision to end multiculturalism in a landmark National Press Club address that was crashed by protesters.
The One Nation leader’s speech was briefly interrupted when a banner secretly installed by GetUp descended behind her, showing her photo and accusing the senator of taking a pay rise while opposing wage increases for workers.
It was quickly removed by Press Club staff, who are now investigating the incident.
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During her wide-ranging speech, the senator expressed her views on immigration, transgender rights, abortion and workplace relations.
She also branded Guardian journalist Sarah Martin “trashy” for her series of reports on the party’s finances, including questions over her daughter Lee Hanson’s job in the party.
But the One Nation leader focused her speech on the high migration levels to Australia after the pandemic, which she said was to blame for housing pressures and cultural tensions.
Senator Hanson accused the government of overseeing an “immigration catastrophe”.
Pauline Hanson laid our her vision for Australia as a monoculture. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
“Under the failed policy of multiculturalism, all cultures are allowed equivalence to ours. Surely opposing that is not racist, it’s common sense,” she said.
She said western values were under siege and outlined her plan to eradicate “radical Islam” from Australia, accusing other countries such as Britian, Canada and France of becoming “s***holes” that were too “frightened” to crack down on extremism.
The senator also pledged to axe the SBS and make the ABC into a subscription-only service in the cities.
She told the Press Club she was not “anybody’s football to kick around” before launching an extraordinary attack on the Guardian’s Ms Martin.
Senator Hanson has clashed with reporters from the ABC and The Guardian in recent months over their coverage, and has banned the outlets from her events.
Ms Martin, who was in attendance, asked about the appointment of Senator Hanson’s daughter to a lucrative One Nation campaign advisory role. Senator Hanson called Ms Martin “trashy” and told her to not come near her.
A banner unfurls during Pauline Hanson’s press club address. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
When asked if there would be a “clean slate” with the media at the start of the next federal election campaign, she was non-committal.
“Let’s see how it goes,” she said.
“If you want to keep bashing me around, I’m like a bloody old elephant, I don’t forget.”
Multicultural policy ‘utterly flawed’ says Hanson
Senator Hanson said the policy of multiculturalism in Australia was “utterly flawed” and while the country was multiracial, it must be monocultural.
The One Nation leader repeated her opposition to migration from countries she deemed “immersed in extremism like radical Islam”.
Senator Hanson’s past inflammatory comments about Islam and Asian Australians have drawn accusations of racism from other politicians, a claim she denied in her address.
However, she acknowledged “a lot of people” were offended by her party’s position.
In 2024 the senator was also found to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act because of a social media post telling Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi to “piss off back to Pakistan”.
Senator Hanson said in her address that Australia was losing its identity and values.
Pauline Hanson was joined by One Nation’s treasury spokesperson Barnaby Joyce. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
As an example, she pointed to Australians who spoke a language other than English at home.
“How can you generate social cohesion if people can’t speak the language?” she said.
“Under the failed policy of multiculturalism, all cultures are allowed equivalence to ours. Surely opposing that is not racist, it’s common sense.”
The senator said One Nation opposed people coming to Australia and “bringing with them the troubles they have left behind”.
“[And] coming to this country and ignoring our values, our language, our traditions, our dress and the fact that we are predominantly a Judaeo-Christian society,” she said.
Hanson defends track record for working Australians
Senator Hanson said One Nation would stand for working Australians but suggested the balance should be tipped back in the favour of business, as she called for an overhaul of industrial relations laws.
Labor has targeted Senator Hanson over her opposition to minimum wage increases and her voting record against “same job same pay” laws.
“You need to look at the other side of the ledger — can businesses afford to pay?” she said.
“I understand there is a struggle for people to afford and pay their bills, but there has to be a balance.”
Pauline Hanson says her party would advocate for workers as well as business. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
Businesses also needed more rights to sack people, she said.
“[Workers are] on their phones, they don’t work, they don’t turn up, they actually are lazy and businesses are tired of it. They want change,” she said.
The senator also challenged the idea of an entrenched pay gap between men and women.
“It’s all smoke and mirrors,” she said.
“If a woman takes time off, they’re not paid their wages because they’re not working — fair enough. Why should a business pay them if they are not at work? That’s why the pay gap is there.”
One Nation is considering whether pensioners and students should be allowed to work unlimited hours without it affecting their support payments, as well as reducing the tax workers pay on overtime.
Hanson attacks transgender movement, abortion rights
Senator Hanson promised to sack Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner and said transgender ideology was “infecting all of society”.
She said the “transgender movement” was a “militant force”.
“It must be confronted,” she said.
The Aids Council of New South Wales, which the senator singled out in her speech, administers the Australian Workplace Equality Index, a benchmark for LGBTQ workplace inclusion. It is endorsed by the Human Rights Commission.
Senator Hanson was also asked about her long-held position to scrap the National Indigenous Australians Agency.
She said the money saved by abolishing the agency would be funnelled into consolidated revenue, and claimed the scheme had not delivered value for money.
Senator Hanson called the Close the Gap framework “complete rubbish” in a speech in the Senate in 2020 and has questioned Aboriginal Australians’ access to the “welfare system”.
Pressed on her position on abortion rights, Senator Hanson would not elect an appropriate gestational limit for abortions, but said she opposed aborting a baby “the day before birth”.
In most parts of Australia, abortions after 22 to 24 weeks can only be done for medical reasons, such as a threat to the mother’s life, and must be approved by a second doctor.
The senator said she still supported late-term abortions if the mother’s life was in danger.
PM, opposition leader call for scrutiny
At a press conference ahead of Senator Hanson’s National Press Club speech, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said One Nation stood to divide Australia.
“They speak about working people, but they oppose every measure that’s put forward for working people, such as pay increases,” he said.
“They stand for talking about battlers, but never representing battlers. They stand for dividing Australia, not uniting Australia.”
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor told reporters One Nation was yet to provide a “credible plan” for the country.
“Scrutiny matters,” he said.
