Hanson slams Govt plan to let foreign workers jump the welfare queue

/in , /by
MEDIA RELEASE

Senator Pauline Hanson has slammed “bizarre and outrageous” new visas that give foreign workers access to a long list of welfare funds as soon as they set foot in regional Australia.

The One Nation leader has taken her anger a step further by suggesting Aussies should instead be encouraged to move to the regions through tax incentives and good provision of government services.

“When will the government understand that its primary job is to look after Australians, not foreigners?” Senator Hanson said.

“We are tripping over ourselves to hand over wads of taxpayer money to immigrant workers, while many Australians who struggle to make ends meet would gladly jump at the same opportunities and those Aussies should be our priority.”

Under the government’s New Skilled Regional Visa plan, foreigners who move to regional Australia will have immediate access to Centrelink payments like family assistance, higher education funds, disability payments, NDIS services, and paid parental leave. If the new arrival loses his or her job, they can immediately get unemployment support paid by the Australian taxpayer.

“The government through these new visas is taking the absolute mickey out of Australian taxpayers who are themselves struggling but are again expected to foot the bill so that foreigners can come and live a wonderful life here,” Senator Hanson said.

“When it comes to jobs, welfare support, government services and tax incentives, Australians must come first!”

The new visa rules mean the Skilled Regional Visa holders will have the same access to welfare payments and government services as permanent residents.

The government argues the generous new visas will encourage new arrivals to settle in regional areas to boost regional economies. However, after just three years the migrants become eligible for a permanent visa and are free to move to the big cities.

The new visas are supported by the Liberals and Labor. The bill has passed the House of Representatives but is awaiting a vote in the Senate.

The New Skilled Regional Visas would take effect from 16 November 2019. The government argues they will have “a low financial impact”.

The Explanatory Memorandum for the bill is available here: https://t.co/dsDTWEKbMA?amp=1

END

Keep up to date with Senator Hanson by following her on Facebook and Twitter!

Learn more, get involved and join the One Nation movement!

Cold-blooded falsities

/in , /by
STATEMENT

Journalist Lucy Carne (Driven to it? This was cold-blooded murder. CM, 25 Feb), has grossly misrepresented recent comments by me in a way that is false, unconscionable, and defamatory.

She made up words and thoughts when she wrote in her column that I made “flippant remarks” that suggested “Rowan Baxter made a spontaneous decision to slaughter his family” and that Hannah Clarke “deserved her brutal death”.

These comments have no factual basis and, as such, are a complete fabrication by Ms Carne. They in no way reflect anything that I have said or believe. 

My full comments on the matter earlier this week included these words: “A lot of people are driven to do these acts for one reason or another, hopefully the family law enquiry will get to the bottom of it, but don’t bastardise all men out there, or women for that matter, because these things happen. Let’s get to the bottom of it, why it is happening, and hopefully find the answers so it never happens again.”

Ms Carne suggested I was wrong to say people are driven to commit these things for one reason or another.

My comments highlighted the fact that human nature is such that people are actually driven, or motivated, by their life circumstances – including factors like mental illness, stress, anger, health problems, cowardice, the legacy of past experiences, and other influences – to do all manner of things. But any such factors don’t nullify personal responsibility and never excuse the committing of tragic events such as we saw recently.

Another falsity in Ms Carne’s column was the suggestion that I was attempting to “swerve the blame” for the murder away from Mr Baxter, who we all know is solely responsible for taking his family members’ lives.

Ms Carne’s suggestions go very much against my personal beliefs that, regardless of motivations, individual people remain responsible for their own actions.

Ms Carne also wrongfully concluded that my full comments “reinforced the reality Hanson refuses to accept that 95% of women and men who are murdered in Australia and killed by men”, that my views would have been “not as impartial” if the killer had instead been a woman, and that I have a “misogynistic motivation to skew the domestic violence crisis”.

These suggestions are all inaccurate and only serve to muddy the domestic violence debate and prevent genuine discussion to find solutions that will reduce such tragedies in the future.

Ms Carne’s column, overall, includes blatant falsities deliberately intended to smear my character, uses cherry-picked quotes out of context, aims to unfairly influence members of the public into believing I hold views that I don’t hold and is, therefore, quite clearly libellous.

I’m proud that my personal campaigning has actually resulted in the multi-party Family Law Inquiry that is taking a holistic and honest look at all aspects of family law, so we can make serious inroads into Australia’s troubled family law system. As a consequence, hopefully we can reduce violence and save the lives of women and children (and men) who find themselves in dangerous domestic situations.

Senator Pauline Hanson
One Nation Leader and Senator For Queensland

END

Keep up to date with Senator Hanson by following her on Facebook and Twitter!

Learn more, get involved and join the One Nation movement!

Pauline Hanson praises retiring MP Jo-Ann Miller: “Labor’s last honourable Member of the Queensland Parliament”

/in , /by
MEDIA RELEASE

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has labelled outgoing Member for Bundamba, Jo-Ann Miller, as Labor’s last honourable Member of the Queensland Parliament.

“Jo-Ann brought accountability to the Queensland parliament and restored integrity to Ipswich following her 14 year fight against corruption that ultimately led to charges against seven former council employees and councillors,” Senator Hanson said.

At the 2017 Queensland state election, Senator Hanson turned down the chance to contest the seat of Bundamba, sighting Mrs Miller’s willingness to work with One Nation on investigations into black lung disease and her fight to save greyhound racing in Ipswich.

“You don’t get rid of good people and Jo-Ann has been one of those good politicians. She’s Labor’s last honourable MP,” Senator Hanson said.

“I will never forget the touching gesture Jo-Ann offered during the 2017 Queensland election, when she gave me a set of booties for my newborn grandson.

“Jo-Ann is one of the few politicians who understands the importance of knowing and listening to her electorate. You don’t get to serve the people for 20 years without doing what they ask of you.”

“I’ve watched the countless years of torturous mind games Jo-Ann has had to put up with from her own party and I don’t blame her for choosing to step down following two decades of service to Bundamba and Ipswich.”

One Nation will be participating in the Bundamba by-election, anticipated to be held on March 28.

“While Jo-Ann will be dearly missed by many in her electorate, we have a local, like-minded candidate who I’m sure Mrs Miller would be proud to see take her place and keep up the fight against Labor’s mega dump plans for Ipswich.”

END

Keep up to date with Senator Hanson by following her on Facebook and Twitter!

Learn more, get involved and join the One Nation movement!

Holiday at home and help Australia

/in , /by
STATEMENT

Queenslanders have always been willing to roll up their sleeves, grab a shovel and wheelbarrow, and help with the cleaning after cyclones, floods and bushfires.

The latest challenge this summer also requires us to step in to help where we can – although it might not necessarily mean hard labour, quite the opposite actually.

The coronavirus – now renamed covid-19 – is not only a health challenge but has also turned into a financial challenge for this state, and particularly for tourism operators in the north.

The travel bans from China, which are a sensible move to help stop the spread of the disease, have also stopped the significant finances that usually come into the regions in the pockets of tourists from Asia.

Places like Cairns are recording big drops in visitor numbers, but it’s been noticeable throughout the whole state. With that in mind, I’m asking Queenslanders who are thinking of taking a holiday to consider holidaying in your own backyard – particularly regional and North Queensland.

The north has its obvious beautiful beaches, wonderful resorts and homestays, plenty of activities, and right now prices on Queensland seafood are very reasonable. Speak to your travel agent and secure a great deal and let’s keep Queensland’s tourism industry alive.

For those on a tighter budget, why not visit family or friends, and enjoy a traditional “family stay over” in the spare bedroom or “airbed on the floor” holiday – they often create the best memories anyway!

Our northern businesses and residents have proved their resilience through cyclones and floods over the years, but the rest of us have also stepped in to lend support, and that need has emerged again.

As we progress through another summer with another unique challenge, I ask readers to seriously consider spending your holidays throughout Queensland, to help turn tourism around.

Let’s prove once again that Queensland can depend on Queenslanders.

Pauline Hanson
One Nation leader
Senator for Queensland

END

Keep up to date with Senator Hanson by following her on Facebook and Twitter!

Learn more, get involved and join the One Nation movement!

Closing the Gap – What a joke!

/in , /by
SENATOR PAULINE HANSON: SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
Pauline Hanson’s Closing the Gap speech

When I speak here today I hope that I am going to get across the voice of many Australians. I’ve never been a pretender, and the people of Australia are relying on me to speak openly and honestly about this issue of closing the gap.

Closing the Gap is complete rubbish, and my thoughts are echoed by many Aboriginals who take the time to meet with me. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a joke. The call for recognition is just a feel-good smokescreen that hides the true problems.

The biggest problem facing Aboriginal Australians today is their own lack of commitment and responsibility to helping themselves.

Closing the Gap is the marketing term used by politicians and bureaucrats so they can feel good about themselves and get in front of TV cameras and pretend they’re doing something to lift remote First Nations people out of their self-perpetuating hell holes.

Most Australians know that tens of billions of dollars are spent each year to help alter the standard of living between those in remote Aboriginal communities and even those living in our developed parts of Australia.

When you spend billions of dollars a year on any group of people you expect outcomes. Sadly, those billions have gone to the non-productive, unrepentant Aboriginal industry, not to where it should go, the grassroots Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is an industry that has achieved no notable benefits in pulling our First Nations people out of squalor, domestic violence and poverty.

When I speak here today I represent the quiet Australians, those Australians who have had a gutful of the billion dollar handouts with very little to show for them.

 Far too many Aboriginal kids in remote communities at this very moment are starving. They’re that hungry they’re breaking in to homes not to steal DVD players but to steal food. Far too many Aboriginal kids are fearful of their alcoholic parents and family members, who prey on their vulnerability.

Those Aboriginal children in my home state of Queensland, in towns like Doomadgee, Woorabinda, Aurukun and Yarrabah, remain vulnerable to sexual assault and a life of petrol and paint sniffing under the current weak plans by our federal and state governments.

On the other hand, I need to commend the hard work of the NPA Regional Council, led by Mayor Eddie Newman and by Councillor Michael Bond from New Mapoon, who took the time to meet with me last year to genuinely speak about bridging the gap.

Together with their council colleagues in Umagico, Seisia, Bamaga and Injinoo, they have demonstrated that we can close the gap with work programs and opportunities for our Queensland Indigenous people—and so too with the mayor of the Torres Strait Islander Council, Fred Gela, and the Torres Shire Council mayor, Vonda Malone. What people need to understand about me and One Nation is that we will always give credit to those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups who are actively striving to better outcomes for their people, but I’ll also call out those dysfunctional communities.

I spoke about this issue 24 years ago when I was first elected to the House of Representatives. It wasn’t called Closing the Gap back then, but again we threw countless billions at the very same problems we’re talking about today.

What’s changed since I first raised those issues? Nothing. We still have Aboriginal kids not going to school. The wonderful air-conditioned school in Doomadgee has around 400 students enrolled, but they’re barely able to roll-call 50 per cent of students on any given day. They’ve got just one child in the whole school with a 100 per cent attendance record.

Whose fault is that?

Lazy parents.

You can’t blame the whites when it’s your own negligence. We can throw all the money in the world at building these schools, with three meals a day for $2 to make sure Aboriginal kids are given a wholesome meal while they’re at school, but, if they don’t turn up, how do they get ahead in life?

We’re also bribing parents with payments to send their kids to school, but even that’s not working. Never before have Aboriginal people been given greater opportunity to get a job. I see it frequently advertised: ‘Only Aboriginals need apply.’

 I had a letter sent to my office last year that confessed to applying for one of these jobs, even though the writer knew he wasn’t Aboriginal and in fact he wasn’t even Australian; he was a Pacific islander.

When he was quizzed about his heritage, he made up a story, saying he was a part of the stolen generation and had no proper knowledge of his background. What type of mockery does this create?

Many Australians feel we have widened the gap as a result of Federal Court and High Court decisions. Only yesterday, we undermined our border security and immigration laws with the decision by our High Court.

We widen the gap by dropping Australia’s national anthem at football games but are expected to stand and conduct a welcome to country. You will never close the gap while this parliament continues to hand native title land claims back to land councils.

The tensions this creates among tribes or mobs is feeding the division in many of these remote communities. I hear frequently from Aboriginals who have serious concerns with the behaviour of Noel Pearson and Jason Yanner, alias Little Boy Murrandoo Yanner.

These people aren’t helping close the gap; they’re simply riding the gravy train. Incarceration rates of Aboriginals remain alarmingly high, even with the reluctance from the courts to jail them. The simple truth is: if you do the crime, you do the time. We expect it of every other Australian or person who comes to this country.

If you want to close the gap, start taking some responsibility for your own people. As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. We’ve provided the schools, it’s now up to you to send your own kids to school.

We’ve provided the jobs, but it’s up to you to turn up when you’re rostered on, not when it suits. It’s up to the Aboriginals to stay off the grog and the drugs.

I will leave you with my final thoughts. Closing the gap should be about treating all Australians equally and on an individual needs basis, not one based on race.

These government policies that are based on race are themselves discriminatory and racist.

 Stop feeding the resentment in this country and you’ll naturally close the gap. And stop playing the victim if we are to move forward as a united country.

 Resentment, hatred and blaming have to stop. We owe this to all future generations, regardless of race or colour.

END

Keep up to date with Senator Hanson by following her on Facebook and Twitter!

Learn more, get involved and join the One Nation movement!

Prohibiting the Indoctrination of Children

/in , /by
Senator’s Statement 12 February 2020

The government is well aware children are being indoctrinated through the curriculum and by teachers, yet they choose to do nothing. This leaves One Nation to draw attention to the problem and to offer up a solution. It’s the reason I introduced the Australian Education Legislation Amendment (Prohibiting the Indoctrination of Children) Bill 2020, earlier this week.

In some areas our children are being taught to accept ideas that are either unproven such as gender fluidity or are debatable such as catastrophic man-made climate change.

Australian 15-year-olds are falling behind their counterparts in global tests of literacy and numeracy. The curriculum is over-crowded. I want our schools to focus on the basics, so our children don’t leave school with skill levels three years behind their global counterparts.

The authority responsible for developing the curriculum needs a shake-up and under my proposal they are obliged to be balanced in their presentation of political, historical and scientific teaching material.

Under my proposal parents will have legal rights to challenge inaccurate and biased teachings in the courts and to have their views taken into account at school. The education system is in desperate need of accountability.

Every day Australian children are indoctrinated to believe catastrophic human made climate alarmism.

They are taught near surface temperatures have increased in recent decades, but there is no examination of colonial state records between 1855 and 1910, which show it was hotter back then than it is today.

How many in this chamber know the IPCC’s own Charter requires it to limit its scientific assessment to human-induced climate change? Research related to natural climate change is automatically eliminated from their reports. In short they only collect information to support on side of climate change.

How many in this chamber know the HadCRUT4 is the primary global temperature dataset used by the IPCC or that HadCRUT4 created in 1994 was independently audited for the first time in 2017 and found to be unreliable.

The IPCC only presents one side of the climate debate, but Australian students need to know the two sides, which is why I want Australia to adopt a policy similar to the United Kingdom under the UK Education Act 1996.

The UK Education Act 1996 allowed a parent named Stuart Dimmock to challenge the use of Al Gore’s climate alarmism propaganda film in his child’s school curriculum. The Judge found a large number of claims made in the film could not be substantiated by science, including the claim made by Al Gore that increasing carbon dioxide levels were causing increasing temperature.

Secondary schools in England could have shown Great Global Warming Swindle, a film that suggests scientific opinion on climate change is influenced by funding and political factors, but they did not because they only wanted to put one side, their side to students.

Three years after the Judgement in the Inconvenient Truth Case was published, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) admitted to a shocking scientific fraud concerning the melting of the Himalayan glaciers.

Just imagine what the Judge would have thought of a media release from an activist group being passed off as science in the 4th IPCC Assessment Report.

Sadly, Australian teachers and schools are still teaching climate science in a way which prevents students meaningfully testing the veracity of material and forming an independent understanding as to how reliable it is.

I now want to turn to gender theory indoctrination in schools. It involves some teachers and schools pushing the idea that a child’s biological sex does not determine whether you are male or female.

How many transgender children are there in schools in Australia? According to the 2016 Census, just 57 students under the age of 15 identified as transgender.

How many transgender students do you think there are in any single school? I will let you do the maths but is something like 57 transgender students divided by 9400 schools.

Despite the small numbers every other student in Australia is subjected to transgender policies, which are being taken to extremes.

We all see that in the decision of education bureaucrats to provide unisex toilets at the Fortitude Valley State Secondary College.

I understand the school, which opened in 2020, has now changed its unisex toilet policy and returned to segregated toilets following parent and student protests.

This time the education system backed down, but I have no doubt they will  wait and try again later. Legislation needs to be in place to give parents a voice, because as it stands teachers and schools are not accountable to their students or their parents.

The decision to force children to use unisex toilets is just part of larger plan to get children preoccupied with gender issues.

Other policies which aid gender preoccupation include gender neutral uniforms, library policies to buy gender theory affirming books, and teachers putting gender theory stories on reading lists.

The preoccupation with gender identity by some teachers and schools is correlated with an increase in children identifying as transgender, which is why I say teachers are ‘transgendering’ our children.

In Queensland some teachers are reading stories like the Gender Fairy to 4 and 5-year-old children. The Gender Fairy shows young children that they can choose their gender, because their body parts don’t make them a boy, or a girl. 

In Western Australia some 8-year-olds are spending learning time dressing up as the opposite sex, using a government-supplied box of dress up clothes. By the time these students are in year 9 they will have a new vocabulary based on gender diversity theory, and they will have been taught the art of sex-texting and advanced sexual techniques.

In Queensland, the government has decided that parents cannot be allowed to know whether the ‘Safe Schools’ program is being taught in a school their child attends. The Safe Schools Coalition has labelled Queensland parents ‘homophobic and transphobic’ and says the government’s decision to keep the program secret from parents is justified. I don’t agree.

Advocates for the Safe Schools program say this program and others like it promote equality of opportunity and combat bullying at school. In practice nothing could be further from the truth, because girls are being bullied into losing their rights.

Students who do not show the required level of enthusiasm for the LGBTQI+ agenda, including materials like the Genderbread Person, are humiliated and embarrassed by teachers, according to reports from parents.

School policies in every State and Territory are based on the belief it would be discriminatory to separate biological males from girls with whom they share the same gender identity.

Transgender policies in the education system mirror policies underpinning the laws in Australia where biological sex has been redefined to include chosen gender identity. These policies provide a small number of transgender people with rights at the expense of the majority, particularly girls and women.

Policy makers say they want to protect minorities. There is nothing wrong with that, but when educators protect the rights of a minority by stripping young girls and boys of their rights, then something is horribly wrong.

How did we get to the situation where schools are preoccupied with gender theory issues?

It begins with a belief that our experience is rooted in our membership of gender group, and membership of a gender group makes it more likely we will suffer discrimination and oppression. These left leaning elites see life as one long battle of identity groups for social justice.

Identity politics causes division and undermines democracy. We don’t want artificial divisions in society. We want social cohesion, based on common interests. We need to be proud of our history.

Our children deserve an education that will allow them to reach their potential and will provide society with a store of knowledge to be passed from one generation to another.

We want our children educated for life and not indoctrinated so they can be controlled by others, and we need laws to guarantee parents’ rights to challenge indoctrination. Parents should give their consent to the teaching of LGBTQI+ theory.

Parents should not be forced to move their child from a school or home school them to avoid indoctrination at school.

END

Keep up to date with Senator Hanson by following her on Facebook and Twitter!

Learn more, get involved and join the One Nation movement!

Coal confusion splits shaky Coalition, One Nation strong on fossil fuels

/in , /by
MEDIA RELEASE

The Liberals and Nationals are tearing themselves apart with fragmented views on coal, but One Nation remains unshakable in supporting the fossil fuel industry and new coal-fired power stations.

One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson has submitted a motion for vote in the Senate that recognises the value of new coal-fired power stations in the creation of jobs, increased competition, lower power prices, and reliable power.

The notice also supports the proposed Collinsville power station project.

“One Nation strongly supports coal-fired power and the reliable and affordable electricity that it generates for Queenslanders, and I urge the Senate to take a stand and recognise the importance of this industry,” Senator Hanson said.

The move follows the Coalition’s disjointed and scattered range of views on coal, with some of its members demanding laser focus on renewables and zero emissions, while rivals pledge long-term support for coal and coal subsidies.

“The Liberals and Nationals are all over the place on coal, they should clear the confusion and get their act together and make a decision on which way they will go, so that Australians can know who believes what and what their official position is,” Senator Hanson said.

“One Nation pledges its strong support to the industry and urges the building of more clean coal-fired power stations; it’s a sensible way to generate reliable power that’s affordable and supports the state.”

END

Pauline Hanson Bill targets indoctrination of school children

/in , /by
MEDIA RELEASE

Skewed versions of history and science, and sexualised school programs that indoctrinate young children with controversies like gender fluidity, are among the targets of a groundbreaking private Bill to be tabled this week by One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson.

Senator Hanson will table the Private Senator’s Bill on Monday to force any contentious school curricula to be balanced.

“Children are easy targets of all sorts of false and left-leaning teachings and parents have had a gut full of seeing the people they entrust with teaching their children, pushing their own agendas,” Senator Hanson said.

“Children should be given balanced information, including views about political, historic and scientific matters, and they should be very strongly encouraged to think critically about what they are told and learn to make up their own informed views.

“When children graduate from school, they need skills in historic research and scientific thinking, which will support them throughout their lives.”

The Prohibiting the Indoctrination of Children Bill would counteract a wide range of issues described as indoctrination of young children: including skewed versions of history taught as fact, controversial sexual programs that teach gender fluidity and realignment to infants, unsubstantiated human-induced climate change, as well as the teachings of so-called “safe” underage sex, sexting, and non-traditional sex.

“The Bill recognises parents across Australia who have concerns about biased teachings, they don’t like the teaching of non-traditional and controversial views that don’t give the full picture; they want to protect and strengthen their children, and this Bill does that,” Senator Hanson said.

“Parents want a sensible curriculum that sets their children up for meaningful, employable futures, without the distraction of false or imbalanced ideology.”

The Bill notes that a growing number of teachers may hold biased views that can be passed on to their students, and ensures that resources that promote a balanced presentation of opposing views on political, historical and scientific issues are provided to the teaching profession.

The Bill also links the payment of Commonwealth education funding to state and territories to the satisfactory teaching of a balanced curriculum and also requires schools to liaise with parents to let them know the extent to which students are provided with a balanced presentation of opposing views.

The Australian Education Legislation Amendment (Prohibiting the Indoctrination of Children) Bill 2020 is expected to be presented to the Senate in the second week of February, 2020.

END

Keep up to date with Senator Hanson by following her on Facebook and Twitter!

Learn more, get involved and join the One Nation movement!

Pauline Hanson demands support for North Qld business impacted by coronavirus

/in , /by
MEDIA RELEASE

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is urging the Prime Minister to urgently implement measures to counteract massive tourism downturns in North Queensland caused by coronavirus-related flight cancellations from China.

Cairns alone has reported the cancellation of more than 25,000 tourism experiences and accommodation bookings due to the flight ban.

The massive drop in visitors has impacted related businesses like the fishing industry, with trawlers in Cairns, Innisfail, Townsville, Bowen, Mackay and Gladstone forced to reduce their catch of fish, crab and crayfish due to fallen demand. 

“International tourism is the lifeblood of parts of Queensland and if there’s a void in overseas visitors, it’s up to this Government and its state counterparts to help fill the vacancy with domestic holiday makers,” Senator Hanson said.

“The repercussions are starting to take effect and I’m concerned for those businesses who’ve been the unintended victims of the coronavirus.”

Senator Hanson has written to Mr Morrison, urging a “Stay and Buy Local” tourism campaign to encourage Australians to holiday locally.

“We’ve seen what slow reactions from government do to communities following the bush fires, years of drought and floods,” Senator Hanson said.

“This is a critical moment for Scott Morrison and his government to ensure he responds immediately to providing help to promote these tourist towns who’ve been hit by the coronavirus travel ban.

“Tourism is tough enough throughout the summer months in North Queensland, let alone immediately after the school holidays.

“The fishing industry of Queensland is just one of those industries who will suffer unless we have a stay and buy local campaign, targeted at domestic tourists.”

Copy of Senator Hanson’s letter to the Prime Minister
END

Keep up to date with Senator Hanson by following her on Facebook and Twitter!

Learn more, get involved and join the One Nation movement!

Australian Olympics Committee needs to provide facts.

/in , /by
STATEMENT

I’m looking forward to my meeting later this month with Australian Olympics Committee president John Coates.

He says the Olympics, should south-east Queensland be successful in securing the event, will be cost neutral and may even produce a surplus for Queensland. So, I am seriously waiting in anticipation to see the facts and figures that will convince me that this is true.

From my readings of the financial facts surrounding past Olympic Games, there have never been an Olympics that has run to budget. Most hosts are still paying the debts off for many years afterwards.

In my view, these historic truths make it incredibly risky and irresponsible to proceed with a bid that may well see the state lumbered with a massive financial commitment that it realistically cannot cover.

Mr Coates criticised me for using apparently-outdated research into Olympic Games costings of the past. Well, this research by the University of Oxford is as recent as having assessed the costings of the most recent London and Rio Olympics – and both of them failed big financially.

The study showed that hosting the Summer Olympics costs on average $12.5b (in Australian dollars). History shows that hosting the games has resulted in an average budget blowout for host cities of 176%.

Mr Coates repeatedly said on radio this week that the games would cost $4.5-million. That sounds extraordinarily ambitious. Reports show that security costs alone, since 9/11, are between $1-billion and $2-billion.

As I said previously, Queensland has a debt that is now greater than $90-billion dollars and hosting the Olympics will risk digging that massive black hole even deeper.

The higher our debt, the more we will struggle to pay for essential infrastructure and service items. It begs the questions: would taxpayers rather have their lives improved through new schools, hospitals and better roads, or a two-week “sugar hit” from an expensive Olympic Games.

I’m sure Mr Coates will get a lot of satisfaction from being part of the Olympics, but the satisfaction of Queensland taxpayers in having a well-run state is actually a much more important priority. The Olympics will compromise that priority.

Premier Anna Palaszczuk is using the Games “buzz” as a smoke screen and vote winner in the upcoming election, but Queensland voters who are tired of poor financial leadership, are not that stupid.

The Courier-Mail, which also seems to be backing the Games bid strongly, also needs to think more responsibly of the costs to Queenslanders.

Pauline Hanson
Senator for Queensland
Leader of One Nation

END

Keep up to date with Senator Hanson by following her on Facebook and Twitter!

Learn more, get involved and join the One Nation movement!