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

As I said, people in community radio are the leaders of their small towns. They're struggling. They are the glue that keeps their communities together, because they give up their time to go into the community radio stations. I know; I've been to a lot of them. But here we are assisting them with a few areas: with news outlets and an extension of time—the government already has an extension from two years to four years—and they're streamlined as well, which will assist them. There are a few areas. There's $12 million. That's what we are going to give to assist community radio. I think that's fair.

There was a comment that we don't care about the bush. That's not the case. What we have actually said is that it's about time the ABC got out of the city areas and started looking after the bush because people out in the bush are being ignored. Only 17 per cent of ABC funding is going to rural and regional areas when they've got 35 per cent of the people there. So the ABC have lacked in their duties to people in rural and regional areas. We are saying that they have to have someone who is connected to rural and regional Australia to go onto an advisory committee and be on the directors' board. What's wrong with that? How on earth can you actually complain about that? We're actually looking after rural and regional areas.

Will I accept your attitude towards grubby deals—no. Why do you make these comments? Labor and the Greens comment and say 'grubby deals' because they are trying to denigrate One Nation, or even the Xenophon Team, for these arrangements and agreements that we've come to with the government to improve a bill, because a lot of Australians have been forgotten. It's not about grubby deals; it's about really caring. If they got their heads out of the sand and stopped their playing politics in this place and started representing the people of Australia, who really want true representation, they might get a lot further. But they are so pig-headed over this whole issue. It's about making the right decisions for the people of Australia.

Senator O'Neill said that I was against the two-out-of-three, and that was correct. But why I have changed my opinion is I've spoken at length with my colleagues, I've spoken to the organisations and I have listened to public opinion, and I can't be that bloody-minded not to change and say, 'I didn't get it right the first time around.' I've actually taken time to consider this. I've listened to public opinion and I've listened to the businesses, and I've come up with this decision. I wish some other people would actually listen to the facts and stop ridiculing, just purely for the basis of ridiculing. If you've got an argument, then put your facts forward and try to tell me why I shouldn't vote with the government on this bill. You haven't convinced me and I'm damn sure you're not convincing the Australian people.