Pauline Hanson, farmers to take on Turnbull Government in court

PAULINE Hanson will today reveal she will help Queensland farmers take the Turnbull Government to the High Court.

Pauline Hanson will join Queensland farmers for the court battle. Picture: Lachie Millard

PAULINE Hanson will today reveal she will help Queensland farmers take the Turnbull Government to the High Court in a bid to stop a land grab for the Singaporean military.

The One Nation leader will announce she has legal advice — from a former Attorney-General Department staff member — showing the Australian Defence Force plan is a breach of the Constitution and the Commonwealth Lands Acquisition Act. She plans to hold a press conference this afternoon in Brisbane.

The legal manoeuvre calls into question whether billions of dollars in investment and thousands of jobs in Queensland are now under threat.

Senator Pauline Hanson at Forest Hill Station, which is affected by the Singapore Military training land deal outside of Charters Towers. Picture: Wesley Monts

Farmers fear they will lose land near Charters Towers and Shoalwater Bay under compulsory land acquisitions by the Defence Department.

The savvy political phoenix will stamp her authority over the contentious issue to embed her political influence in Federal and State electorates and has moved to make the announcement today over concerns the Palaszczuk Government was planning to hijack the potential vote winner.

The Courier-Mail revealed last year that outgoing trade envoy Andrew Robb pulled of the “deal of the century” for Queensland. The masterstroke is centred on a $2 billion injection for Queensland and thousands of jobs.

The deal is centred on the Singaporean Government paying Australia to use its facilities to train 14,000 troops. But to cater for the troops, the Defence Department needs to expand its current facilities and will require nearby land at its current facilities.

The Government next month will reveal the footprint and which properties will need to be resumed.

Senator Hanson will say today there are question marks over the legal definition of “public purpose”, because the Government is acquiring the land of Australian farmers to cater for another country’s military forces.

Farmers fear they will lose land near Charters Towers and Shoalwater Bay under compulsory land acquisitions by the Defence Department. Picture: AFP/SAEED KHAN

Last week, the Palaszczuk Government condemned the Turnbull Government to seize properties from farmers and urged it to find alternatives.

The State Government is at risking a number of seats to One Nation but faces a political quandary — ensuring its policies do not offend green-left leaning voters who will decide the fate of Deputy Premier Jackie Trad and Environment Minister Steven Miles — and maintaining its regional vote, which is beginning to bleed to Senator Hanson.