- Same old message, new target Three decades ago, Hanson used her first speech to federal parliament to argue that multiculturalism should be “abolished” and Australia was at risk of being “swamped by Asians”.
She made similar claims on Wednesday, only this time pointing the finger at “radical Islam” and non-English speakers for allegedly eroding the national identity. “We cannot be a multicultural society.
We are a multiracial society, but we must be monocultural. Australians must live under the one cultural umbrella,” she said in a prepared speech that ran for more than 50 minutes – far longer than most press club addresses.
Pauline Hanson says Australia must be ‘monocultural’ in Press Club address – video Asked if Australia was in danger of being “swamped by Muslims”, Hanson said: “Not if I get any say in it.” Hanson pointed to a series of “facts” to justify her argument, including 2021 census figures that found 23% of people spoke a language other than English at home. “How can you generate social cohesion if people can’t speak the language?” she said, ignoring the fact that fluent English speakers might use another language at home.
- The climate change ‘hoax’ In loud echoes of Donald Trump, Hanson directly blamed the “hoax” of climate change for driving up energy prices and, in turn, cost-of-living pressure.