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

I commend Senator Antic and Senator Roberts for bringing this to the chamber. I've tried on three separate occasions to have a hearing into this, an inquiry into it, and it was blocked every time. The fact is that it is exactly right.

I commend the Greens for standing up and fighting for koalas and fish, salmon, and different things. But we're talking about humans here. We're talking about our children—about protecting them and their rights as well.

We have seen in television interviews and even on Insight, when they did a story on this, what happened to children—absolutely distraught, sorry that they went through this whole process. We've seen it, as Senator Canavan said, with Tavistock, and we've seen it around the world. This has become a business at the expense of children's lives being destroyed, and that's what we need to consider.

Why I pushed my notice of motion to have an inquiry on this is that a group of mothers, half-a-dozen mothers, went knocking on the doors of members of parliament and senators to explain to them why it was important to have an inquiry into this. These are mothers, parents, who have seen their children go through this process and become—what can I say? They don't lead normal lives anymore. One mother said that her daughter now, who is 21, is in her bedroom for three months at a time. She will not come out of her bedroom. The mother has to leave her food at the door. She doesn't want anyone to see her because she's changed from a female to a male after taking these puberty blockers, the hormones that she needed to change. She's now got hair on her chest and hair on her face, and she's balding. She is absolutely distraught. It's destroyed her life. She said, 'All we need is to let people hear our story and understand what is happening in our community.'

Another reason why it's important now is that the Labor Party just passed their family law, and, under family law now, you can give all rights to the custodial parent, so the other parent no longer has a right or say in the health or wellbeing of the child. Parents have lost their rights here as well. You've given control of it to only one parent.

I just feel that this is so important. People in the gallery are listening to the debate here. Australians, our job here is to give people the right to have a voice. If it goes to an inquiry, then we can hear what the people have to say and make an assessment of that and how we best deal with this. People are sick and tired of being shut out—that they don't have a say. It's important that we do this. And I am disgusted by those on the coalition side who have not voted on this or who stay out of the chamber because they do not want it to be seen how they vote on this. It is not about an individual. This is about doing what's right.

In the criminal amendment bill the government wants passed today, they are worried about the drugs coming in from China through vaping. They're worried about the drugs that children may be taking through vaping. What about the irreversible drugs that are being given to children? Puberty blockers are irreversible, and that's what people won't admit. They don't want to say that. That's why it's so important to have this inquiry. I'll tell people: this has become a money-making business. In America, there was only one clinic. Now there are 300 across the whole country. It's estimated to be a $200 billion industry, at the expense of our children. That's what needs to be discussed here.

If you really worry about lives and about drugs, let the inquiry happen. What are you hiding? What are the Greens hiding? Why don't they stand up for Australians on this? Why don't they stand up for the children? That's what this is about. I cannot understand Labor's stance on this and why they are so opposed to the people having a voice. That's what it's about: the people having a voice. I will appeal to those on the coalition side, those half a dozen who haven't voted or who voted against this as well. Put it in an inquiry. Let the people be heard. It's no skin off your nose. That's what our job is. You must stand up for everyone in this nation. So I call on people. Let the people have their say. The people should be heard. You know what? Outside this chamber, we went to a referendum on that. The people had their say. We allowed the people to have their say as far as the Voice went, but we're not allowing the people to have their say— (Time expired)