Hanson calls for urgent new support for Qld, NSW dairy industries

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MEDIA RELEASE

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has called for new support measures for the dairy industry to prevent the ongoing exodus of farmers, particularly from disadvantaged Queensland and NSW.

“We need changes that help Queensland and New South Wales, otherwise farmers will keep walking away, a traditional way of life will die, production will dry up, and we’ll be left drinking imported milk or milk powder,” Senator Hanson said.

Since dairy deregulation in 2000, Queensland dairy farmer numbers have dropped from 1500 to 300. Nationally, numbers have fallen from 22,000 to 5000.

National milk production has decreased dramatically from 12-billion litres annually for a population of 19-million, down to 8-billion litres today for 25-million people.

Senator Hanson proposed several dairy industry rescue measures, to be trialled initially for 24 months:

  • The ACCC to determine the actual cost of production per litre for each of the eight dairy regions of Australia.
  • A regulated increase of 20c per litre above the cost of production in each dairy region, paid by processors to farmers.
  • A regulated increase in the retail price of milk from $1.20 per litre to no less than $1.50 per litre, which is still lower than prices in undeveloped nations ($1.70), most developed nations ($2.40) and New Zealand ($2.50) and also lower than retail prices for bottled water.
  • Product labelling to clarify the milk’s origin (i.e. Victoria), its processing and truck departure dates, and reasonable shelf life expectancy.
  • Dairy Australia statistics to be published monthly by Government instead of annually as is currently the case, to provide more timely data on the true status of the industry.
  • Annual reporting by processors to reassure that farmers are receiving the mandated milk price (which is similar to reporting required of Fonterra in New Zealand).
  • Guidelines for retailers to be included in the Dairy Code of Conduct. 

Senator Hanson twice introduced a private senator’s bill last year to ensure all farmers received a fair and viable farm gate price for their milk but it was twice voted down by all Liberal and Nationals senators.

She said the abandonment of Queensland and NSW farmers was led by Nationals Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud, a Queenslander with a career history not in farming but in the banking sector.

“Liberal and Nationals senators should have crossed the floor and supported my dairy bill, just like Labor and the Greens did, but every one of them chose instead to put themselves and their political positions ahead of farmers, their families and Australia,” Senator Hanson said.

“The Liberals and Nationals deregulated dairy in 2000, which is destroying an essential Australian food industry, and I’m disgusted with their ongoing negligence today.

“They’re also allowing foreign buyouts of Australian farms, with no guarantee the milk will stay in Australia and mostly being exported overseas.

“I’m totally against their attitude of ‘get big or get out’ because dairy farming is a way of life for many rural families and communities; it needs to be supported.”

Queensland struggles to produce enough milk to meet its needs, so it brings 30 large trucks daily from Victoria with milk at least three days old before it gets onto Queensland shelves.

Production costs vary in each of Australia’s eight dairying regions. Farmers in Queensland are currently paid around 60c per litre with production costs of approximately 55c to 65c per litre, compared to Victoria’s production cost of approximately 40c to 45c per litre. It costs 17c per litre to freight the milk to Queensland.

An over-reliance on Victorian dairy imports could be jeopardised if disease sweeps through the Victorian herds, and could force Queenslanders onto powdered milk should Victoria prioritise its overseas customers when lucrative export markets reopen.  

“I fought the Nationals to get the Code of Conduct and now my fight is to get a fair farm gate price,” Senator Hanson said.

Senator Hanson secured the current inquiry into the dairy industry and its profitability since deregulation in 2000 that is due to finalise a report by September 15.

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ReplyForward

NATIONALS PICK FOREIGN WORKERS OVER AUSSIES

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MEDIA RELEASE

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has labelled Federal Agricultural Minister David Littleproud as braindead following a decision to bring in 170 workers from Vanuatu to fill jobs in the mango industry.

The Federal Government’s decision follows the Northern Territory Farmer’s Associations forecast of a shortage between 800 and 1,000 workers this month.

Senator Hanson said, “With over 1 million Australians left unemployed during this pandemic, David Littleproud is braindead to think we can’t find a thousand Aussies who would take on this type of work for a few months.”

“The Prime Minister and Social Services Minister need to give the Nationals a good clip around the ear for this outrageous decision to bring in foreign workers to fill jobs at a time like this.”

Senator Hanson is encouraging Aussies to look at farm work as an opportunity to take a working holiday and see parts of the country they’d otherwise never see.

“The Northern Territory is one of those places where you might work all week, but you can use the weekend to go fishing or see some spectacular sites that leave the Sydney Harbour and other tourist hotspots for dead.”

“When Australians take on the work here at home, the money doesn’t leave our shores which is critical at a time when the Government is bleeding cash and paying people to sit at home and do nothing.”

“I have a great deal of respect for the people of Vanuatu, but now is a time where Australians need to be pushed to the front of the queue and given jobs first.”

“I wouldn’t mind it if the Federal Government were to give free one-way tickets to people who want to take on these jobs.”

Senator Hanson has reached out to the Minister for Social Services, Anne Ruston to discuss filling fruit picking jobs with out of work Australians.

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Hanson urges goodwill to Virgin shareholders and ticketholders

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MEDIA RELEASE

Queensland senator Pauline Hanson has asked the new owners of Virgin Airlines for goodwill for thousands of everyday shareholders who fear losing their investments in the airline.

USA-based investor Bain Capital is in the process of finalising its purchase of the bankrupt airline, so the One Nation leader wrote to the company to ask that it look after existing “mum and dad” shareholders who face “a total loss of their investment in Virgin Australia”.

“I would hope that Bain Capital takes its corporate responsibility approach to protect those vulnerable investors in the same manner they approach the bond holders with the capital and legal backing to ensure their investments are protected,” Senator Hanson wrote to the company’s Managing Director, Michael Murphy.

“One must take into account it is that large number of shareholders that will be the clientele of Virgin in the future.”

She noted that some investors “could be losing either a partial or wholly percentage loss of their retirement capital”.

Senator Hanson is also asking Bain Capital to provide refunds for international flight tickets that became unusable due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

She noted in her letter that the company planned to scale back to a domestic-only carrier and that the Government had banned international flights from Australia – both events out of the control of ticket holders.

“…those travellers that have pre purchased their international flights cannot take those flights irrespective of the cause…. Therefore, Virgin Australia cannot honour those booked and paid for flights,” Senator Hanson wrote.

The One Nation leader added that taking such positive action for those at risk would “place Bain Capital in a very favourable position in its standing in the Australian community”.

Media reports suggest Virgin Airlines had received 340,000 requests for ticket refunds.

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Devious Black Lives Matter extremists prey on the vulnerable

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STATEMENT

There’s a very stark difference between black lives matter and Black Lives Matter.

And it’s not just the capitalisation.

Black lives matter refers to the notion that those who have darker skin due to the race to which they happen to be born, are valued and respected as human beings.  I have always agreed with this view, just like I strongly believe every person, no matter what the colour of their skin, should be valued by society.

On the other hand, Black Lives Matter is an activist organisation that claims to promote “black lives matter” but actually proves through divisive speech and indiscriminate violence that all lives are expendable in their campaign to destroy democracies, conservative politics and families.

The use of the words black lives matter by Black Lives Matter is devious from what is an extreme political organisation that preys on those in society that feel neglected and marginalised. It is wrong for any organisation that claims to work for a better society to then go about manipulating and stirring up the vulnerable to do their dirty work, potentially risking their lives.

Here is the blunt truth: BLM is nobody’s friend. Any parent who loves their children and sees them mixed up with BLM needs to steer them away from this organisation quick smart. For their own good.

The BLM organisation has among its aims the disruption of the traditional family structure. It is anti-men and anti-father. It opposes the view that people are born either male or female. It supports defunding police services and is responsible globally for violence, assaults and the destruction of public property and businesses.

It has been heart-breaking to see disenfranchised youth being brainwashed by this organisation and the media, to take up risky causes that will only hurt them in the long run.

Senator Roberts and I made clear recently that Indigenous deaths in custody are fewer per 1000 prisoners than the number of non-Indigenous deaths. Also, in 2017-18, 79% of indigenous deaths in prison custody were from natural causes.

These figures are alarming and must be addressed, but they don’t provide support to the claims that motivate Black Lives Matter protestors in Australia.

It has mostly escaped the media that I am very active in meeting Indigenous Australians on their home turf. In the past 12 months, I’ve met the council at Bamaga on Cape York, travelled to the Torres Strait and met with both councils representing Queenslanders living in that area, met with traditional elders at Uluru in the Northern Territory, and spoken with locals at Burketown and Doomadgee in the remote Queensland Gulf Country.  I also meet with Indigenous constituents who live in cities and towns across Queensland.

In Canberra, I have held discussions with delegations from the Far North Queensland Regional Organisations of Councils.  I was also sought out for meetings by a group of Indigenous women who feel my no-fuss approach to their problems and solutions are affective. They spoke personally about the poverty, abuse and suicide that are among the troubling issues facing Aboriginal communities.

These problems will not go away until we acknowledge the issues and actually work together to implement programs that help – beginning with ensuring young Aboriginal children go to school and get a complete education that they can use to build careers, businesses and meaningful lives.

Yes, black lives do matter; this is wrapped up in my belief that all our lives matter.

Senator Pauline Hanson
One Nation Leader
Senator for Queensland

Multiculturalism Has Come Back To Bite Us During Pandemic

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STATEMENT

I love Australia. I will love this nation with pride until the day I die.

I have always respected the people from many different nations and cultures that live here, with whom I interact almost daily, and who help to make this the best country on earth.

However, we are not perfect and we can’t stick our heads in the sand and pretend that we don’t have our problems.

My comments in the media this week reflected an honest assessment of failures in the management of our multiculturalism that have now come back to bite us during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has revealed that the failure to assimilate into Australian culture and learn English can indirectly be deadly. Governments of all persuasions are guilty of being soft on promoting assimilation and the need for English language proficiency, for the benefit of the individual and society as a whole.

Many who come to Australia are happy to enjoy the good things – our safety and stability, our friendly way of life, our relatively good government services, our generous welfare support – but then believe it’s acceptable to reject the culture and common language of their adoptive nation, and we now see the consequences.

Health advice during this emergency has been published only in English, our national language, so it meant many residents from non-English speaking backgrounds, who have rejected the English language, missed the safety message. 

We now have an emerging second wave and the Melbourne housing apartment harsh lockdown. The two weeks in quarantine for the 3000 residents will be aided by taxpayer-funded food, alcohol and drug deliveries, government financial handouts, and more than 500 police guards.

I want the best for Australia and its many residents from all cultural backgrounds. That is why I will keep highlighting the problems that need to be fixed, that many people feel afraid to discuss.

We need to be allowed to debate the problems that exist in Australia – including issues that revolve around multiculturalism and Aboriginals – otherwise we will never smooth out the bumps that hold our nation back.

I have said many times that criticism is not racism. To reject certain opinions and stifle debate on the issues that affect our nation is an attack on free speech and also a roadblock to a better future for all Australia.

Senator Pauline Hanson
One Nation Leader
Senator for Queensland

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LNP Sabotage North Queensland Water Infrastructure Push

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MEDIA RELEASE

Federal Liberal National Party Senators have taken repeated steps to sabotage proposals to build crucial nation-building water infrastructure in North Queensland.

In the most recent attack, the LNP joined Labor and the Greens to vote against a motion by One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson, to have a hybrid Bradfield Scheme added to the Prime Minister’s list of Covid-19-recovery projects.

“This is vital water infrastructure, it is revolutionary, and by rejecting the proposal the LNP has yet again turned its back on north Queenslanders,” Senator Hanson said.

“Queenslanders want some hope in the future and need a party they can put their faith in to support nation-changing projects.

“One Nation is the only party that is 100% behind the Bradfield, which will create jobs, give the economy a good jolt, and actually bring water into dry central Queensland for centuries to come.”

Senator Hanson’s comments come after the LNP suggested early last week that the feasibility of such schemes needed further investigation and then voted against Senator Hanson’s motion the following day.

“We have already done the studies that show this water project is not just ‘feasible’, it is vital,” Senator Hanson said.

The LNP’s rejection came despite LNP Leader Deb Frecklington supporting the scheme, including on an Instagram post last week.  

Senator Hanson said the blatant and bizarre clash was hard to comprehend, given the internal squabbles faced by the LNP and the looming state election.

“I’ve raised my suspicions in the Senate that the LNP’s Bradfield announcement was a ‘Claytons announcement’ designed to win votes but with no intention to proceed. The actions of the Federal LNP support my views,” Senator Hanson said.

“To prove me wrong, the LNP must move past its weak policy to duplicate more so-called ‘feasibility studies’, which are just a smoke screen to do nothing.”

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Palaszczuk Keeps QLD Locked Up But Lets Activists Break Lockdown Laws

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MEDIA RELEASE

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has questioned why recent protests have been allowed, despite ongoing warnings by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and CMO Jeannette Young over the deadly Covid-19 virus.

Social distancing rules still apply for cafes and restaurants, gyms, churches, junior sport fixtures, funerals and weddings, yet protests involving hundreds of people, marching side by side and yelling loudly, have been allowed with zero police questioning.

“This double-standard by Labor is angering thousands of struggling Queensland businesses experiencing forced lockdowns. It raises numerous puzzling questions,” One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said.

“Why are businesses and families still under harsh restrictions? Why the favourable treatment for the protestors? Is the Premier taking the virus threat seriously? Why are the police not enforcing the restrictions? And the big question: are the lockdowns and restrictions purely a political ploy?

“Queensland’s economy is on the brink of collapse due to business shutdowns, but the Premier and Chief Medical Officer Young are allowing these marches. It seems absurd. It beggars belief.

“Labor supporters have been praising the harsh measures but now they’ve also been kicked in the teeth by their leader and her sudden flip-flop.

“Who will take the blame if we are hit by a spike in virus cases due to the Premier and CMO suddenly weakening their position for the protestors?

“The Premier and her Chief Medical Officer need to answer these questions. Please explain the double-standards.”

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PALASZCZUK’S POLITICS VS THE PEOPLE OF QUEENSLAND

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STATEMENT

I’m suspicious that Premier Palaszczuk’s management of Covid-19 has now transitioned from that of a health crisis to one that is increasingly a convenient Labor campaigning platform.

I’m also concerned that the Premier, who is elected by the people, repeatedly defers her authority to an unelected health bureaucrat who has free reign to implement any restrictions she wants.

In my view, it’s a dangerous power structure that is taking Queensland down a path of economic destruction.

To put it bluntly, the Premier conveniently has absolved herself of responsibility to actually lead. She also has given herself a convenient scapegoat with which to deflect any criticism.

Queenslanders now need leadership that looks honestly at the data and recognises we are overdue and ready to re-open.

The initial reasoning for restrictions was of course to manage the virus so that our hospital emergency wards would not be overwhelmed. Thanks to the courage and discipline of Queenslanders, we have achieved that target and our hospitals have capacity.

The reality now is that virus cases have dropped to levels that are so low that it is safe to allow Queenslanders to transition to lives that are much closer to normality. We should re-open the borders so we can again host the NSW tourists who are so important to our economy.

Hundreds of tour operators, resorts and managers face closure and bankruptcy if we don’t act now.

Some people are confused by my stance on our borders. My views have never changed. On our national borders, I’ve long promoted lower more-sustainable immigration levels that don’t impact negatively on our quality of life. On the state border closures, I’m pushing to restore freedom of travel for Australian residents to help rebuild the economy and allow families to meet again.

Premier Palaszczuk is obviously relishing the limelight of her daily media briefings where she can’t help but also promote Labor’s policies. To prolong the crisis so she can push her campaign interests is an abuse of her position that reflects poorly on her governance.

Queenslanders need a leader who is for the people, not a self-interested dictator.

Senator Pauline Hanson
One Nation leader
Senator for Queensland

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Pauline Hanson: “Cancel Trad-era thinking, cancel 2032 Olympic Games bid”

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MEDIA RELEASE

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says it’s now time for the Queensland Government to push aside outdated Trad-era thinking and cancel its bid to host the 2032 Olympic Games.

Senator Hanson said it was foolish of Treasurer Cameron Dick to press forward with the bid when the state’s finances were in dire straits due to the Covid-19 economic fallout.

“Australia is not getting through this virus unscathed, we will be well and truly broke, and it’s foolish to think the 2032 Games bid should proceed and take priority above the rebuilding of life and the economy of Queensland,” Senator Hanson said.

“Treasurer Cameron Dick clearly lacks the foresight and wisdom to scrap the plans of the Trad-era and stop the games bid, just as I’ve been saying for months.”

Senator Hanson has long campaigned against the 2032 Games bid due to the massive costs and budget blowouts that have historically plagued the host nations, in spite of both Labor and Liberal embracing the idea with little apparent regard for the debilitating costs.

“The financial risks are too great, the situation here is too dire, and we face years of financial challenges that we should not blindly worsen by adding billions of dollars to that mounting bill,” Senator Hanson said.

The 2000 Sydney Olympics were budgeted at $3.2b but the final cost was $6.9b – more than double the budget! The 2008 Beijing Olympics were budgeted at $20b but cost $45b, the 2012 London Olympics were budgeted at $5b but cost $18b, and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games were budgeted at $14b but cost $20b.

Senator Hanson noted that when Tokyo won the 2020 bid, estimates of the cost were $11.3-billion, but with cost blowouts and the Covid-19 delays the estimated total exceeds $50-billion.

“Hosting the Olympics is like cream on the cake, but we don’t have money for that cream right now; every family and small business today needs to make sensible budgeting decisions, and the government is no different,” Senator Hanson said.

“We can’t hand over blank cheques to the International Olympic Committee who take great delight in spending other people’s money when we can least afford it.

“We need the money to go where it’s needed most, and bidding for the Olympics is way down the list of priorities – nation-building infrastructure must come first.”

Senator Hanson urged Treasurer Cameron Dick, the Australian Olympic Committee and the SEQ Council of Mayors to consider Queensland’s plunging finances and scrap the Brisbane Olympics bid.

The Australian Government has so far pitched in $10-million toward the bid, with Queensland likely contributing a similar amount.

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Labor’s Palaszczuk manipulates Queenslanders for virus shutdowns

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MEDIA RELEASE

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has blatantly misled and manipulated everyday Queenslanders by accepting false advice that triggered harsh lockdowns of schools, businesses and rural towns.

In an insult to diligent Queenslanders, the Labor leader personally supported directives to shut down schools not because of health risks, but to manipulate Queenslanders about the seriousness of the virus.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said Premier Palaszczuk’s use of scaremongering and her ignorance of the impact of closures on the health of children exposed a lack of leadership as well as her lack of understanding that comes only from being a mother.

“Our school children need to socialise with their friends, but Labor chose to use manipulation and scaremongering to lock them up, put them at risk of anxiety, self-harm and suicide, based on false and dodgy advice, it’s totally unacceptable,” One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson said.  

“We have parents who are expected to be teachers, mental health experts, to be the breadwinners in some way, and also find time to care for their own health, but Labor believes they are too stupid to take the virus seriously so they tricked them with false reasoning.

“Palaszczuk got the poor advice, she knew the truth, and at the end of the day the decisions are hers and it’s had a devastating impact on the state, it’s just not good enough.

“Palaszczuk should be ashamed of herself, to belittle Queenslanders, to share in the manipulation and wilfully neglect the health of our children in that way; it is improper and reflects her poor leadership and lack of experience in looking after a family and children.

“And here she was pretending to care about the people.”

Senator Hanson’s comments come as Labor’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young admitted in the media that the school lockdowns was more about “getting to people” with a message than actual health risks.

The Queensland directives contradicted the urgings of the National Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, who repeatedly said schools were safe to open.

Labor’s Dr Young was quoted:

“If you go out to the community and say, ‘this is so bad, we can’t even have schools, all schools have got to be closed’, you are really getting to people,” Dr Young says.

“So sometimes it’s more than just the science and the health, it’s about the messaging.”

Senator Hanson demanded that the Premier sack Dr Young for her misguided management and her blatant manipulation of Queenslanders.

“Palaszczuk needs to wear this massive failure, it shows a lack of faith in the Queenslanders who have led this fight against the virus with courage and cooperation, but that effort is obviously not respected or appreciated by the Labor government,” Senator Hanson said.

“It’s shameful and goes to the heart of what Labor stands for – they are users, they lack empathy, they think they’re too good for the rest of us, and they don’t truly care about Queenslanders.”

END