Men’s groups not given same voice as women on family law: Pauline Hanson

Pauline Hanson insists she’s not favouring men as she prepares to help lead an inquiry into the family law system.

Senator Pauline Hanson at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Kim Smith

Pauline Hanson has declared she’s “not taking sides” and favouring men as she prepares to help lead a parliamentary inquiry into family law and child support, but insists men’s groups are often not given the same voice as women.

The One Nation leader also appealed to mothers and fathers to “get rid of your hatred, get rid of your pain” and said she would draw on her personal experience to “try and find equality for everyone”.

“I’m not taking sides. That would be so wrong of me. It’s not up to Pauline Hanson. At the end of the day there’s 10 of us there (on the parliamentary committee) to hear that evidence, to make the decision and make agreements on recommendations,” Senator Hanson said.

Labor and the Greens opposed the government’s motion in the Senate to establish a joint select committee on Australia’s family law system, with Senator Hanson’s appointment as deputy chair of the committee a major sticking point.

After claiming on ABC radio on Wednesday that mothers were committing perjury and lying about domestic violence to stop fathers from seeing their children, Senator Hanson later told The Australian men were also culprits.

“(It’s happening) right across the board. Perjury is perjury. It’s hard to determine who is actually telling the truth or the lies,” Senator Hanson said.

“Whoever perjures themselves, and if that is proven, there has to be some repercussions for that. You can’t just perjure in a courtroom that means the difference of whether parents get to see their children.

“People are backing me up and saying I’ve had these false allegations put against me and it’s not true. That’s what I want to get to. It’s not backing anyone. I’m saying to those women out there, get rid of your hatred, get rid of your pain and all the rest of it. I’ll say the same to men too, because men are the same. They won’t back the women up and give them help with the kids or give them child support.”

Senator Hanson acknowledged she had been accused of bias and “leaning towards men” but said men’s organisations did not get funding or shelters and could be left with nowhere to go.

She conceded domestic violence affected women at much higher rates than men, after the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found one in six women compared to one in 16 men had experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or previous partner since the age of 15.

“I’ve heard from women’s legal organisations and other ones who have given evidence and I’ve found they’re very biased because they’re only interested in the women,” Senator Hanson said.

“Where’s the equality in the system? We just turn a back on this. Regardless of whether they’re men or women, they’re people who are going through pain themselves. Stop stigmatising people that just because of what sex you are.”

Senator Hanson said she had personal experience with the family law system after failing to receive child support from ex-partners.

She has also spoken of her sons going through custody battles.

“I’ve been through it, I know what it’s like to actually receive no child maintenance, to argue with the fathers to spend time with their children. I’ve seen my sons go through it, and I’ve seen women who are begging for that help. I know what it’s like from both sides,” Senator Hanson said.

Greens senator Larissa Waters said women surviving family and domestic violence had been “thrown under the bus” by the government and crossbenchers — One Nation, Centre Alliance, Jacqui Lambie and Cory Bernardi — who voted to set up the inquiry.

“(The inquiry will be) deputy chaired by (Senator) Hanson who called all survivors liars. This inquiry will do damage and is a foregone conclusion,” Senator Waters said.

Labor’s shadow cabinet decided at an emergency lunchtime meeting the party would oppose the inquiry, with major concerns about Senator Hanson’s role.

While there was concern about the lack of consultation with Labor about the inquiry and its terms of reference, one frontbencher said the bigger concern was supporting an inquiry with Senator Hanson at the helm because of “all she stands for”.

On Tuesday Labor had been inclined to support the inquiry but that appeared to change once Scott Morrison confirmed Senator Hanson would be the deputy chair.

Liberal MP Kevin Andrews will chair the inquiry.

Another Labor frontbencher said Senator Hanson had done herself no favours with her comments about mothers committing perjury.

Senator Hanson said the Greens were making the inquiry political and about her.

“I will look at anything based on its merits, what’s right for the country and right for the people. They have admitted we have a problem with the family law system but they’re not prepared to give it a go? They’re shutting out the Australian people,” she said.