Pauline Hanson has declared Australia should be a monoculture, in a sweeping address at the nation's most coveted political platform, the National Press Club. She's also criticised the public broadcasters and confirmed its official One Nation policy to scrap funding to SBS.
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TRANSCRIPT
After decades on the fringes, Pauline Hanson made her first appearance at the prestigious National Press Club on a polling high
"Every attempt has been made for years to silence me. In fact there are always some people usually a lot of people who get offended by what I say or do, even offended by my very existence."
She built on years of immigration warnings, when Ms Hanson has claimed Australia is in danger of being swamped by people from different nations and cultures.
"At the centre of this crisis is the utterly flawed crisis of multiculturalism. We cannot be a multicultural society. We are a multiracial society, but we must be mono-cultural. Australians must live under the one cultural umbrella."
She targeted the one in four Australians who identify as speaking other languages at home, saying it's impossible to generate social cohesion if people can't speak the language.
There were protests outside the venue, interrupting her speech, and inside the venue, a banner was unfurled behind the senator questioning her voting record after opposing wage rises, childcare support, pension increases and housing affordability measures.
The Australian Federal Police have been asked to investigate that incident, with the NPC saying they have given footage and other evidence of the unfurling of the banner.
The statement says third parties were responsible for the protest, and that no club personnel or contractors had any involvement.
meanwhile, Ms Hanson laid out her party's pro-business position.
"Industrial relations, I can assure you, needs a complete overhaul, because it's not working. Businesses also tell me you can't sack people these days, they're on their phones, they don't work, they don't turn up, they actually are lazy, and businesses are tied to it, they've had enough."
She said the party would be supporting nuclear power while savaging Labor's renewables policy and what she called the 'net zero hoax'.
She took aim at the media in the style of Donald Trump.
The Guardian asked whether Pauline Hanson was involved in getting her daughter a government funded job.
"I've never see such a trashy journalist, and what you put out all the time, you've gotten this obsession with constantly trying to pull down myself, my party, Mrs Reinhardt, whatever you do, don't come near me for an interview in the future."
One Nation attacked the public broadcasters too, planning to make ABC a subscription service in metro areas and defunding SBS.
"The SBS will be gone. There's no need for it anymore; the internet has overtaken the need for it."
Which prompted this fiery exchange with SBS Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson about SBS's language services.
HENDERSON: i'm talking about 60 language to help people integrate into Australia...
HANSON I understand your question but you are going to be without a job.HENDERSON: isn't it part of your platform, Senator to help people from other countries integrate into Australia and help them become AustraliansHANSON I want them to learn to be able to speak English before they get here so they can assimilate into our society.
Even some of her closest supporters admit it was risky for Pauline Hanson to take the national press club podium and it could be make or break for some voters only now finding out the detail of her policies.
