Nationalistic Australian Senator Pauline Hanson staunchly defended herself and colleagues on March 28, over controversial video footage that was aired in an explosive Al Jazeera documentary.
“Today is the day of shame on the Australian media who have been sold a story that is too good to be true, and you took it hook, line and sinker,” Hanson said on her first public appearance after recovering from a tick bite. “Media across Australia had been blinded by the hate and bias towards One Nation and myself, and rushed to report on heavily edited footage.”
“Let me make it very clear to the Australian people. I have never sought donations or political guidance from the NRA.”
Hanson said she had been the one to approve the trip for Ashby and One Nation Queensland leader Steve Dickson, thinking they could go to visit with the National Rifle Association in the United States to “learn campaigning techniques, meet with other elected officials at the Congressional Sportsmen’s Dinner, and learn about the power and economy of the United States.”
Such visits are common practice among political parties, Hanson said adding how, unlike the major political parties, her staff “did not travel at the expense of taxpayers.”
In the video footage, which was first broadcast in Australia on the ABC on March 26, Dickson and Ashby were allegedly conversing with gun lobby groups as Muller secretly taped their conversations. The video showed the men discussing what One Nation could do if it had millions in donations, presumably from the lobby group.
Dickson and Ashby were also shown apparently speaking on multiple occasions about watering-down gun laws in Australia.
However, Senator Hanson explains the comments aired have been “taken completely out of context.”
“Steve said some stupid things or inappropriate things but I know Steve. Steve is a family man,” she said. “He’s a good man and Steve Dickson would never ever want to water down the gun laws in Australia, the same as I won’t.”
Demoted on the Ballot
Statements shown in the documentary show a timely response from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who vowed to put One Nation below the opposition left-leaning Labor Party on the centre-right Liberal Party’s how-to-vote card for the upcoming May federal election. Hanson called Morrison a “fool” for having “handed the keys to the Lodge to [Labor Opposition Leader] Bill Shorten.”Morrison said the decision was spurred by Hanson’s statement in further video footage in which she appeared to question whether the Port Arthur massacre was a government conspiracy.
Hanson later said the “heavily edited” video did not represent her views on the 1996 tragedy. “There is no question in my mind that Martin Bryant was the only person responsible for the murders of 35 innocent lives, and my belief stands today that he should have faced the death penalty,” she said.
Foreign Interference Questioned
“This is Australia’s first case of severe political interference from a foreign government,” Hanson said at the press conference. "Qatar is a government that enforces Sharia law, public floggings, genital mutilation, suppression of women, and stoning.”“This is a political attack by Al Jazeera in cooperation with the ABC,“ she added. ”If the ABC had any ethical bone in their body, they would refuse to put this unfair and unbalanced story to air tonight.”
Hanson added that Al Jazeera had refused to release the unedited covert recordings, and that she would continue calling for their release to clear One Nation’s name.
Al Jazeera journalist Peter Charley said he would be delighted to release all the recordings, labelling suggestions the report has been dubbed as “preposterous.”
“The ABC assesses all content on its merits, ensuring it is consistent with all ABC editorial policies, including recognised standards of accuracy, impartiality, integrity and fair and honest dealing,” she told the Australian Associated Press.
Minor Parties Respond Differently
Nationals leader Michael McCormack said he was comfortable with One Nation being above Labor on his party’s how-to-vote cards.“I’m quite happy with the National Party members determining at a local level ... where they put their preferences,” McCormack, who is also the deputy prime minister, told reporters in Darwin.
Australian Conservatives Senator Cory Bernardi told Sky News he would not fall for the “smokescreen” of blaming a foreign media organisation. “Pauline Hanson needs to give these two blokes the flick,” he said.
