Queensland Election 2017: Pauline Hanson says she will lead hung parliament negotiations
IF THERE was ever any doubt about who was the real kingmaker in Queensland, Senator Pauline Hanson says she will take a lead role in negotiations should there be a hung parliament.
QLD Election
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PAULINE Hanson says she will take a lead role in negotiations should there be a hung parliament after the November 25 Queensland election.
The Queensland Senator, whose resurgence could see One Nation play a key role in determining the next premier, said unlike her disastrous foray into the Queensland Parliament in 1998 – where she won 11 seats only to see the party capitulate and deregistered – she was the one in control.
Speaking to The Courier-Mail in the midst of the State Election campaign, Senator Hanson revealed her grand plan to build up the One Nation brand to the point where she could walk away from politics and pass the party on to generation next.
“(In 1998) it was like going into a new job and you’re overwhelmed,’’ Ms Hanson said.
“Two years on, I have gained credibility, I am a little wiser about politics and this time I am in total control of the party.’’
After spending more than a decade in the political wilderness, the firebrand Senator believes this is her last crack at creating a lasting legacy.
As the party leader and figurehead, Senator Hanson said it made sense for her to assist any elected One Nation MPs in negotiations with other parties.
“I would like to be part of that, with my experience and my knowledge … But I do respect Steve Dickson fully and I would respect the other candidates that get elected to the position,” she said.
Shortly after a meteoric rise to prominence in 1998 where One Nation managed to win 11 seats in the Queensland Parliament, the party was deregistered and Senator Hanson found herself in jail following charges of electoral fraud.
However, after “starting again from nothing” in 2013, Senator Hanson said she had put safeguards in place to ensure the party did not self-destruct like it had done in the past.
Her first priority was to ensure a stronger vetting process to stop rogue candidates trying to hijack the party’s agenda.
“This is my last crack at it. I am not going to go away for another 13 years again and rebuild this party from basically nothing.
“In 1998 the state executive forced me to stand candidates for the state election and I didn’t want to – I said no.
“I’ve made it quite clear we were not going to take candidates unless they pass this vetting process.
“Last time we had branches throughout the state who were sort of pushing their views. We had people who had their own agenda who thought they’d ride on my coat-tails and none of that this time. It’s not going to happen. That’s where the difference is this time.”
The fiery Senator puts her revival down to people falling out with the major parties, and said the statements she made during her first stint in parliament have been franked over time.
“What I said back then has actually happened. People are saying I wish we listened to you 20 years ago – that has given me credibility to people,” she said.
“People say now while they may not always agree with me, they trust me.”
While the Senator likes to hit out against the two major parties, she pointed to her record in working with Malcolm Turnbull in Federal Parliament in assisting what she described as “good legislation” through the Senate.
And she plans to use that experience to milk the most out of the major parties at the state level.
She expects to be able to play a similar role in Queensland; however, she said she would not pressure the One Nation MPs into voting certain ways on legislation.
“Put it this way – the party isn’t just one person, Pauline Hanson … If it was we would never move into the future.
“It is about building strong foundations and gaining respect from the public that they know what I stand for and they know I am building this party on our policies based on our objectives and principles – that’s what I expect of our candidates.”
Originally published as Queensland Election 2017: Pauline Hanson says she will lead hung parliament negotiations
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