Pauline Hanson weeps at plight of dairy farmers
An emotional Senator Hanson was unable to finish her 2GB interview on Friday. Photo: 2GB
Pauline Hanson has broken down in tears as she discussed the plight of the country’s farmers on Sydney radio on Friday morning.
“I want to put out a call to these farmers; please don’t give up hope,” an emotional Senator Hanson said during an interview with Alan Jones on 2GB.
“Give me an opportunity to keep fighting. I don’t want these farmers to give up.”
The interview came a day after Senator Hanson won support for a parliamentary inquiry into re-regulating the dairy industry.
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party, which controls two key crossbench votes in the upper house, has demanded the re-regulation amid intense pressure on producers due to farm gate prices.
On Thursday, Labor and Senate crossbenchers teamed up to get the numbers to establish an inquiry, which will look at the merits of tasking the competition watchdog with a dairy investigation.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would investigate how it could regulate the price of milk per litre paid by processors to dairy farmers.
The proposal mirrors Labor’s pre-election policy.
Senator Hanson told Jones the Coalition had tried to block the inquiry.
“They voted against it. So did [independent senator] Cory Bernardi,” she said.
“I’m not happy and this is going to be driven.
“The people of Australia have a right to know, the dairy farmers have a right to know.”
A teary Senator Hanson then had to give up the interview, leaving Jones to say she was upset for farmers and exhausted with fighting bureaucrats in Canberra.
Earlier this week, Jones had his own emotional moment on Sky News, following a bruising radio interview with Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the government’s response to the drought.
“He just didn’t understand,” Jones said of Mr Morrison.
“We will fight, because I have been exactly where the people of Bourke are.
“My old man would be ashamed of me if I didn’t fight.”
Jones then broke down in tears as his co-host Peta Credlin reached out to him and he cut to a commercial break.
Alan Jones became emotional when talking the drought. Photo: Sky News
Meanwhile, Thursday’s vote for an inquiry into the dairy industry came only days after Senator Hanson went on a Senate strike, saying she would withhold votes on “non-critical” legislation until the Morrison government stepped in.
“Until we sort out the dairy industry in this country and look after the farmers that are desperately needing our help…[the government is] not going to get my support,” Senator Hanson told Sky News on Monday.
Liberal frontbencher Jonathon Duniam said the industry did not support calls for re-regulation.
“As recommended by the ACCC, we are implementing a mandatory code of conduct to increase fairness and transparency between dairy farmers and processors,” he told parliament.
The government has been criticised over delays surrounding the code.
But Senator Duniam said it was expected to be in place by the start of next year with an exposure draft to be released soon.
The inquiry will centre on the performance and profitability of Australia’s dairy industry since deregulation in 2000.
The Senate’s regional affairs committee will look at the funding of Dairy Australia and its ability to act independently.
It’s due to report in March 2020.
-with AAP