Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The LNP have shown their true colours in this Queensland state election campaign. Last week we had the Prime Minister wandering around with Deb Frecklington. I wonder if they discussed the fact that a major political party is preferencing a party with known racist policies: the One Nation political party? They're putting One Nation ahead of Labor in every seat in Queensland. How can the candidate in Stretton, one of the most multicultural electorates in Queensland, put One Nation after the Liberal National Party? It is amazing that they are connected with a party with such racist behaviour.

I remember when Pauline Hanson started her political career back in 1996 and she said:

I believe we are in danger of being swamped by Asians.

Things have moved on, but the racism has continued. Even on 6 April this year, she said:

I have no time for the Chinese. As far as I'm concerned, get out of our country.

These are dangerous, damaging, misguided comments, yet we have a major political party doing a preference deal.

Then we saw up in Redcliffe the LNP candidate campaigning with a Young Liberal who is supposed to have been suspended for sharing offensive opinions about Indigenous culture. What has happened to the Liberal Party of old? Why don't the Liberals speak up against such racism?