Brian Burston (NSW, United Australia Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With an election now likely in May 2019, I want to highlight the policies and principles that the United Australia Party, UAP, will be bringing to the federal election. UAP have a zonal taxation policy that will allow people living in rural and regional Australia to claim a tax rebate of 20 per cent every year. This rebate will not only apply to those who move into the regions but also to those who already live there. This taxation policy will help ease the infrastructure pressures being experienced in cities like Sydney and Melbourne by giving people the incentive to move to the regions.

To further ease that pressure on infrastructure, the UAP also propose to reduce immigration levels to around 100,000 per annum, at least until the development of infrastructure catches up to population growth. The reduction will be skills based, not based on race or religion. To validate this policy, let's consider the cost of pump priming our population through immigration. Australians can see with their own eyes the congestion on our roads, the urban creep, the pressure on our environment and the sky-high housing market that has priced homes beyond the hopes of young families. The opening of the new real estate market to foreigners does not help—an outrageous exposure of citizens to global demand. Australians can see the rise of high-density housing degrading the architectural identity and amenities of their neighbourhoods. They can see the failure of infrastructure of all kinds to keep up. Is it no wonder when basic infrastructure costs $100,000 per extra person who immigrates?

UAP intend to reduce electricity prices by refinancing network infrastructure—that is, poles and wires. Network charges make up at least 47 per cent of consumers' electricity charges in New South Wales alone. Contractors provide the finances of $45 billion to upgrade the electricity network at a 10 per cent interest rate. The electricity consumer is paying for this through their electricity bill. UAP will refinance this through government finance at two per cent, therefore reducing electricity bills.

Further, UAP will introduce a policy that will allow companies to pay their taxes annually rather than quarterly. This will inject $70 billion into the economy every time it is spent. The government will receive $7 billion in GST revenue. It will create demand, wipe out the deficit, allow more hospitals and schools to be built, and raise living standards. UAP will also introduce a policy to reduce the pension age to 60. This will not have a great impact on the budget bottom line and, indeed, will cost the equivalent of one per cent of Australia's foreign aid budget.

During the election campaign, UAP will be announcing more policies that will raise living standards of all Australians. UAP intend to contest every lower house seat and every Senate seat in the 2019 election. As leader of the United Australia Party in the Senate, I give the Australian people the assurance that UAP will be placing Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party last or near last on every how-to-vote card across the country. The United Australia Party will not be recommending that preferences be directed to a dictatorship. It will not be recommending that preferences be directed to a party that has fraudulently registered their party in New South Wales. This registration will soon be tested in the Supreme Court of New South Wales. The United Australia Party will not be recommending that preferences be directed to a party whose leader allegedly accepted a multimillion dollar gift from an influential business person because of her support for the acquisition of significant property by them, according to the bragging Jimmy Ashby, the convicted criminal again heading to court later this month for allegedly breaching electoral law. I'm advised that this gift is secreted away in a trust fund called One Nation political trust, administered by Sydney based solicitor Danny Eid. The United Australia Party will not be recommending that preferences be directed to a party whose president for life's chief of staff, Jimmy Ashby, intimidates and harasses me and my staff. Just last week, Jimmy Ashby apparently made the comment to one of my staff, 'Old men die', or words to that effect. I felt it was a subtle death threat.

The United Australia Party will not be recommending that preferences be directed to a party whose president for life stalks and intimidates me and my staff by attending my electoral office in Toronto, New South Wales, in the company of two males and a former staff member of my office Wendy Leach, a prolific stalker of myself. This visit was despite an agreement being reached with the President of the Senate two days earlier that both parties would leave each other alone and avoid contact. Just like the company tax cut legislation, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party president for life cannot keep her end of an agreement. Once again, as Leader of the United Australia Party in the Senate, I confirm to all Australians that our party will be placing Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party last or near-last on every how-to-vote card distributed by our party across the country at the next federal election.

There are many stories in One Nation, but this is just the second one.