Pauline Hanson, founder of Australia’s far right One Nation party, has used her first speech in federal parliament in almost two decades on Wednesday to denounce Chinese ownership of local assets and warn that the country is in danger of “being swamped by Muslims”.
WATCH: Australia in danger of “being swamped by Muslims” says far right MP
Hanson is one of four One Nation senators elected in Australia’s general election in July, creating a key voting bloc when the two main parties – the governing centre-right coalition and opposition Labour party – disagree on legislation.
“Any foreign ownership is regrettable but why are we allowing the Chinese government – an oppressive, communist regime – to own our land and assets? Why are we allowing our ports, utilities, services, agricultural land and industries to be acquired by foreigners of any nationality? It is foolhardy to sell our water, agricultural land, our food source, essential services and ports. This is not in Australia’s national or security interest,” Hanson said.
Australia’s relations with its biggest trading partner are already on edge after Treasurer Scott Morrison blocked Chinese and Hong Kong bids for major energy grid, Ausgrid, on unspecified security grounds soon after stopping the sale of cattle company Kidman & Co to a China-led consortium.
In response, China accused Australia of being protectionist. Helen Sawczak, chief executive of the Australia China Business Council, told Reuters after the speech on Wednesday that there had been a “few speed bumps” in relations recently and that the focus needed to shift to the opportunities Asia provided Australian business.
Hanson’s speech was delivered 20 years after she first entered parliament and gained international notoriety by warning that Australia was being “swamped by Asians”.
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Her political fortunes soured within a couple of years of that 1996 speech, before a high profile campaign that included a call to ban new mosques, Muslim immigration and implement protectionist trade policies won significant support at the election.
“Now we are in danger of being swamped by Muslims, who bear a culture and ideology that’s incompatible with our own,” Hanson said in her latest speech.
“Islam cannot have a significant presence in Australia, if we are to live in an open, secular, cohesive society. Never before in Australia’s history have we seen civil unrest and terror associated with a so-called religion or from followers of that faith. We have seen the destruction it is causing around the world. If we don’t make changes now there will be no hope in the future, have no doubt that we will be living under Sharia law and treated as second-class citizens with second class rights, if we keep heading down the path with the attitude ‘she’ll be right mate.’ Therefore I call for stopping further Muslim immigration and banning the burqa as they have done in many countries around the world,” Hanson added.
Some lawmakers walked out during her speech in protest.
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Veteran Australian political analyst David Black said the same protectionist sentiment that help unseat former UK Prime Minister David Cameron and lift up Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump had come to Australia.
“She appeals to those who feel vulnerable and, in some cases, have lives that haven’t turned out to be tremendously successful,” Black told Reuters via telephone.
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