Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

If it was any reference to me, it just went over the top of my head. I have thicker skin than that. It's irrelevant what some of the other people in this chamber have to say. They're so thin-skinned. It's all right to dish it out, but they don't like to take it.

As I was saying, what I have seen here is that you're going to save a lot of businesses, publishers and jobs in this country with media diversity. I've spoken to organisations. They want this. They can see that they need the change in Australia if we are going to compete and if we are going to have our own media diversity in this country. All I've heard from the other side of this chamber, from Labor and the Greens, is that it's not going to improve media diversity and all the rest of it. Where's your argument? I have never heard the reasons why. They are not putting up their case. They're not putting up their case enough to convince me why it won't. I've listened to the businesses out there and they are the ones that are hurting. I've spoken to some journalists who have lost their jobs. They are concerned. The deals that Senator Xenophon—

Senator Hanson-Young interjecting—

has done with the government, with regard to passing this bill, are very credible. I think it's very good because he's looking at traineeships for cadets and the people coming through. Senator Hanson-Young made the comment: 'Where are the wages coming from for the journalists?' It is not the government's position to pay the wages of any private business. They don't do it. It is the government's position to make it feasible for people to get jobs. It is not up to them to pay the wages for private business. If those private businesses aren't successful, no-one at all will have a job. It's not up to the government to pay for the wages of journalists out there.

They talk about grubby deals but, let me say: there were no grubby deals done. If you actually have a look at what my agreement has been with the government, you will see that I'm asking for 'fair and balanced' to be in the charter of the ABC. It's part of what they are supposed to be doing anyway. So what's the problem with it? Don't we all want fair and balanced? Where's the argument there? Why would you oppose that?