Pauline Hanson ‘so angry’ with Rod Culleton over backpacker tax vote

LOOK out, Rod Culleton. Senator Pauline Hanson has vented her fury at the One Nation senator for crossing the floor over the backpacker tax.

One Nation Senator Rod Culleton is in trouble with party leader Senator Pauline Hanson. Picture: Lukas Coch/AAP

ONE Nation senator Rod Culleton is in big trouble with the boss.

In an emotionally-charged interview on Sky News, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson vented her fury at her party’s Western Australian representative over abandoning her stance on the controversial backpacker tax bill.

Before the Senate eventually agreeing to vote with the government to pass a 15 per cent tax on every dollar earned by backpackers by getting the Greens on board, Sen Culeton had sided with Labor, along with fellow crossbench senators Derryn Hinch and Jackie Lambie, to support a 13 per cent tax.

And although the division was eventually resolved, Senator Hanson was not happy with her rebel senator.

“I was so annoyed that Rod Culleton actually crossed the flow and he wouldn’t come to the 13 per cent,” the disappointed senator told Sky News.

“I tried to compromise and tried to get Derryn Hinch and Rod Culleton yesterday to agree to 13 per cent, they weren’t going to move on it.”

Senator Pauline Hanson was not happy leaving the Senate yesterday. Picture: Gary Ramage

Sen Hanson said she didn’t accept Sen Culleton’s argument that he knew best because of his farming background.

“Rod says he’s a farmer. No, he is a farmer from a different sector, he does not have backpackers,” she said.

“Derryn Hinch — what’s his connection with it? Has he ever gone out to speak to the farmers?”

The One Nation leader claimed that without the two senators’ defiance, the issue could have been resolved earlier in the week.

Sen Hanson has repeatedly said she was only concerned with the effect of the controversial tax on the farming and hospitality industries.

“I had people phoning me up in my office saying ‘fantastic, great, 15 per cent, we’re happy with this’,” she said.

“I was so happy (Culleton) would not agree to the government. They’d dropped from 19 per cent to 15 per cent and I thought that’s a great outcome.”

Senator Rod Culleton. Picture: Kym Smith

The backpacker tax was one of the last pieces of legislation the government was determined to push through parliament as they rounded out the last sitting week for the year on Thursday.

The drawn-out discussion was resolved in the Senate late on Thursday after the Greens eventually came around to agreeing to a 15 per cent rate on the final day of parliament for the year.

The deal will allow backpackers to keep 65 per cent of their superannuation and includes a $100 million boost to Landcare projects.

It will raise the same amount of revenue as a 13 per cent tax rate.