Dick Smith backs Pauline Hanson over hard line immigration policy

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation should now be recognised as mainstream, Peter Costello said today.

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation should now be recognised as mainstream, former Howard government treasurer Peter Costello said today.

Mr Costello said when he was in office, the government was focused on ensuring One Nation, then viewed as out on the political fringe, didn’t become part of the mainstream.

“One Nation has now mainstreamed itself. That’s the difference. One Nation now has several senators and the balance of power,” Mr Costello told the ABC.

He said the party had become smarter and more sophisticated, but the presence in the Senate of Ms Hanson’s senators along with ndependent Derryn Hinch and members of the Nick Xenophon party could not be good for the nation in the long term as it meant an increase in horse trading. .

“Perhaps the major parties left a bit of a vacuum which they came and filled,” he said.

“My hope is after people have seen this unedifying spectacle for a few years they’ll break it at the next election.”

Smith backs Hanson ‘revolution’

One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson has welcomed the backing of millionaire entrepreneur Dick Smith, who has offered to advise her ahead of the next state and federal elections.

Mr Smith said he supported Ms Hanson’s hard-line stance on immigration and will meet her before Christmas to discuss the policy.

Senator Hanson said with Mr Smith’s help they could “hopefully pull this country together”, noting there was a “revolution” taking place around the world sparked by people “fed up” with the major political parties.

“You’ve met me, I haven’t got two heads or anything like that,” she told 2GB radio.

“The whole fact is that I’m prepared to say these things out in the open - what I see as a problem in Australia. Whereas too many others are so gutless behind closed doors, in their chambers and all the rest of it. (They) will agree with me but won’t come out and say it.

“We want our sovereignty, we want out nationalism, who we are as a nation, we are individuals. We want peace in our lives. We don’t want people coming in telling us what to do, how to live our lives and becoming such a nanny state. People want stability as well.”

The One Nation leader said she hadn’t discussed money with Mr Smith but was thrilled to have a high-profile person backing her.

A ‘Trump-like’ movement

Mr Smith predicts Ms Hanson will enjoy a Trump-like wave of support in traditionally conservative areas.

The buy-Australian campaigner said while he didn’t agree with Ms Hanson on a number of issues — climate change, for example — population growth was a key issue facing Australia.

“She’s the only political party that has a policy on population that is not endless growth,” Mr Smith told ABC Radio in Sydney.

“She announced in her maiden speech immigration would come down to replacement levels. I’ve been saying that for over five years.

“The reason people are voting for Pauline Hanson is because they are so completely frustrated with the present major parties. Even the Greens don’t have a population party because they say if you mention immigration, you’re racist. It’s ridiculous.”

Mr Smith was challenged by host Wendy Harmer over how he could support Ms Hanson’s views on immigration given she didn’t believe in climate change.

“I believe in climate change ... the Liberals don’t believe in climate change,” he said. “How do you solve climate change if we take the population from 7 to 12 billion.”

Asked today about Dick Smith’s support for Senator Hanson, Mr Turnbull said “we have a vibrant democracy” and people are entitled to campaign for independents or political parties.

People ‘screaming out’ for change

Mr Smith told The Daily Telegraph he decided to help Ms Hanson after friends on both sides of the political spectrum embraced her party. He said he too supported many of her policies.

“I support her policy on Julian Assange. I support her immigration policy. She says she’s going to have a policy to help general aviation. I’ll certainly support that,” Mr Smith said.

“I agree with her views on immigration numbers, that is about 70,000 a year, not 200,000. But I do not agree with her views on Muslim immigration,” he said.

Ms Hanson said she would run One Nation candidates in the next NSW state and federal elections, targeting seats across Sydney where she believes voters want change.

“People are just really fed up with the major parties and screaming out for change,” she said. “I think there’s a move on across the country for One Nation.”

Mr Smith, who threatened to run against Bronwyn Bishop in the last federal election if the then member for Mackellar did not retire, said he had noticed “so many” of his former Coalition supporting friends had switched their support to Ms Hanson. “I am starting to see why she’s going to have incredible support and how completely disappointed people are with the two major parties,” he said.

He said he had confronted her about claims she was a racist. “I asked her, does she think she’s superior to other races? She said no,” he said.

Mr Smith ruled out financial backing for One Nation, saying he had never donated to a political party.

He said he might stand for federal parliament as an independent at the next election.