Pauline Hanson returns to lead One Nation
By Kym Agius
Posted 8 minutes agoWed 19 Nov 2014, 9:11am
Photo: Hanson for parliament several times since leaving One Nation in 2002. (Bradley Kanaris, file photo: Getty Images)
Pauline Hanson has announced her return to the One Nation party to become its leader after a 12-year hiatus.
On day one at the helm she had already taken a swipe at foreign ownership, Halal and multiculturalism.
Ms Hanson announced her comeback on One Nation's website, saying she would dare to raise issues which were politically incorrect.
"We are witnessing large amounts of our prime farming land and housing sold to foreign ownership," she said.
"The push for multiculturalism is only segregating us as a nation and not uniting us as Australians with the same values, beliefs and laws.
"Halal is being forced on us by 2 per cent of the population.
"Increased violence, educational standards well below world standard and our health care are a lot to be desired."
The party's website today announced the comeback, "due to popular demand".
Ms Hanson, who lives south of Brisbane, founded the party in 1997 with David Oldfield and David Ettridge.
At its height in popularity the party won 11 of Queensland Parliament's 89 seats on a populist, conservative and anti-multiculturalism platform.
"One Nation was born because many Australians felt they were disregarded by other political parties and their voices were not being heard," she said.
"My platform onto the political stage was nothing more than daring to raise issues that were politically incorrect and having a common-sense approach rather than an elitist attitude, but most of all honesty."
Since reaching a peak of 18,000 members, the far-right party has floundered since Hanson was booted from the helm in 2002 by the national executive.
The next year,
she was convicted to three years in jail, only to be released about three months later.
Hanson made several unsuccessful attempts to be re-elected to both federal and state parliaments as an independent.
A re-launch public gathering will be held in Caboolture at the end of the month.
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Things get more and more interesting.
Dave R.
