Pauline Hanson on Centrelink’s polygamy pay: ‘We’ve been taken for fools’

PAULINE Hanson says major political players are “too gutless” to sort out Centrelink’s Islam polygamy scandal and Australians were being “taken for fools”.

Pauline Hanson has again called for a Royal Commission into Islam. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty

PAULINE Hanson has used reports of polygamy by Muslims to take advantage of spousal benefits to again call for a Royal Commission into Islam.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that Centrelink was paying spousal benefits to the second and third wives of Muslim men all living under the same roof.

Slamming the practice, Ms Hanson said mainstream political parties haven’t spoken out because they are “too gutless” to tackle this issue.

“Welfare is out of control, its become a way of life and not a helping hand,” Ms Hanson told news.com.au.

“Unless we reign it back in we will not be able to support those truly in need, including the aged, sick and young.

“For too long the leaders of this nation have disregarded it purely for the vote. Enough is enough.”

She said it was time to stop “appeasing” certain groups because they will want “more and more”.

“They will keep going on and abusing us, our generosity and our culture,” Ms Hanson toldThe Australian.

The One Nation leader took aim squarely at the major political parties, “We have been taken for fools”.

“Second marriages are not ­acknowledged in this country or their children, and they should not be funded at all,” Ms Hanson said.

“It is against the law to have multiple marriages, but we are condoning it as taxpayers.”

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison said on 2GB radio this morning that cases where polygamy was being used to claim multiple spousal benefits were “100 per cent wrong”.

But he said it would be more expensive for the government if each wife claimed an independent welfare allowance.

“The law and its implementation cannot condone polygamy. It’s against our values, it’s 100 per cent wrong,” he said.

Centrelink does not hold data based on polygamous relationships or religion, something Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi labelled “a convenient excuse”.

“We are always told the data is not kept,” he said as he joined Ms Hanson in her condemnation, saying the payments were “political correctness gone mad”.

“(T)he lack of will to confront some individuals who seek to apply a different law to themselves means politicians are afraid to speak out,” he said.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told Sky News the suggestion that the payments were evidence the Federal Government was “authorising polygamy” was “ridiculous”.

He said the Centrelink payments made financial sense, because spousal payments cost less than the alternative, which is the single mothers’ pension payment.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has also called for an investigation, saying he called for action late in his leadership, only to be told the practice would “cost more”.