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

I have a few comments to make. In regard to what Senator Murray Watt said earlier about me not caring about older Australians in Queensland, that's not the case at all. The borders needed to be reopened, and my concern was for the whole state and everyone there. We had businesses going under, more suicides happening and more people with mental health problems as well. It was the matter of coronavirus that had people, and those older Australians, in fear. If you have health issues and if you are an older Australian, then you should take care of yourself and possibly think about going and locking yourself away if you want to protect society. But we can't stop businesses and people from getting on with their lives because of the fear factor. That's what it was; it was the fear factor. So, as for not worrying about older Australians—I do, constantly, all the time, but I don't use it as a political football, as I have seen happen in Queensland, in the lead-up to the Queensland election.

This whole debacle going on this afternoon is occurring because One Nation—I and Senator Roberts—have now decided not to support the two amendments. We're now not giving our support to them—support which you need to uphold these amendments so that the bill will then go back to the lower house, where you know they will reject it. You want the bill to come back here again, hoping that it will be put on hold for three months so that it will either never come back again or actually cause a double dissolution. These are the games that are being played in this chamber. That's why you're attacking One Nation—because you know that can't happen without our support.

Now, I had a meeting with the Treasurer this afternoon in regard to this. This information was put to me in those discussions, and, because I supported the amendments, I raised concerns. What you've got in those amendments about people losing their jobs—under the Fair Work Act they can't just be sacked. That can be questioned under the Fair Work Act. Those protections are in place. That is no different to what it is today in the workplace. Any dismissal can be challenged under the Fair Work Act. If you take up this scheme, you can't have a reduction in the payroll. You can't sack people just to put them on. There are oversights to see to that.

An opposition senator: You just don't know what you're talking about.

I do know what I'm talking about. Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, you are actually laying the blame because you don't want to see this bill get up. I'm not playing your games in this chamber by using One Nation. After having consultations and talking to the Treasurer, initially, I wasn't in support of this bill—I can tell you that—because I felt that we've paid out so much money. There's the cost to the taxpayer, and businesses out there are saying that they don't particularly need this money. There might be some who will, but what they want are workers. They want people to go out and get these jobs.

Youth unemployment in this country is of great concern to me. The average figure is 10.4 per cent. Majority areas of youth unemployment in Australia have 27 per cent youth unemployment. If this is going to help those youth get jobs—give them some incentive to get jobs—then maybe I am wrong. I'm quite willing to admit if I am wrong if it will get the jobs. The Treasury figures are saying there will be 450,000 jobs; I hope that is the case. I'm very sceptical of it, but I hope that is the case. I'm willing to admit if I believe the information that's come before me is wrong.

The other amendment was to do with the quarterly reporting. Those reports will be made available to the public. They will be reported to the COVID committee, so they will be available. You put up I think about 10 or 11 amendments yesterday to this bill. I think it's the most I've ever seen in any bill—why? Because you're playing your games again in this place. That's the truth of the matter. If you say that I vote with the Liberal Party all the time—

An opposition senator: You do.

What about the corporate tax cuts? I didn't support them on that, and that's one of the biggest bills that have been put in this parliament. I didn't support them on the ensuring integrity bill. Plus there are other things that I don't support the government on all the time. The government is the one that puts up the legislation in the place, not the opposition—not the Labor Party. It is the government that puts up the legislation. My job as a senator in this place is to look at the legislation, and I've always said that I will vote on what I think is right for the country and the people. I won't play your games in this place, and I won't make my decisions based on what you think is right, because I know from the opposition benches you have to oppose it because one day you hope to be on the government benches.