A few days out from the launch of One Nation, I had a phone call from Adelaide academic Dr Joseph Wayne-Smith. It was to confirm that the draft of the 'Hanson' book was complete and that he was forwarding to me three copies to have a look at. At the time few people knew about the book. As I understood it he was putting together a story line, basically in support of Hanson's views. What I did not know nor was I informed, as the founder of the Pauline Hanson Support Movement (PHSM), was that the author was no more than the compiler and collator of a cross section of various views. The book, Pauline Hanson The Truth, caused a furore.
The acclaimed Sydney Morning Herald journalist and author of the best selling book Among the Barbarians, Paul Sheehan writes on page 159 that:
'David Oldfield did not arrive at Hanson's office in time to save his new boss from her greatest debacle, the book Pauline Hanson The Truth, which destroyed any credibility she might have been building through electoral success.'
But this observation is wrong, lamentably wrong in view of Sheehan's credibility as a thorough and investigative journalist. The suggestion here is that Oldfield would have intervened …that Oldfield was not in a position to protect Hanson. Well, he was and he didn't.
Sheehan also writes that I admitted to being one of the authors, whilst expressing concern that nobody was prepared to put their name to it. The fact that I had no reason to hide behind anything and my name was the only one in the book negated any reason to admit the obvious.
Later in this account I will go more fully into this matter, but for the moment what must be established is that Pauline Hanson in a mad moment of pique and complete ignorance of it's contents named the draft copy, The Truth, without even perusing it's contents, whilst David Ettridge immediately seized it as a marketing gimmick for the forthcoming launch of One Nation.
What is not generally known is that the original edition of 1000 copies, one leather bound being sold for $290, sold out immediately. David Ettridge, seizing the moment placed an order for another run of 15,000. When the threat of legal action for breach of copyright in relationship to Eric Rolls's Sojourners hit the fan, the same David Ettridge distanced himself from the book. Indeed for those who have an original copy of Pauline Hanson The Truth, they will notice that Hanson has copyrighted the edition. That she had no right to do this was never contested. Both my work and that of my late father's appear in the book and that breaches more than copyright. Ethics and propriety, to say nothing of legal requirements were never part of the Hanson way of doing things. No permission was ever given for either intellectual property to be used by her. Further, in the preface appears a disclaimer:
The responsibility for part two of this book is not Pauline Hanson's, but rests squarely on the shoulders of Pauline Hanson Support Movement members who collectively prepared this book.
The compilation consisted of 242 pages of which 53 were Hanson's. The rest of the book was a platform for a multiplicity of opinions. Although I insisted that my work be deleted in view of Hanson's renaming of the book, it appeared. The truth therefore was that while the book claimed to be the work of the PHSM and its members, it was not. The only work that was written by anyone from the PHSM was my inaugural speech as founder. I had no problem with identifying with it, but I had great problems with the anonymous contributors as well as Dr Wayne-Smith, for hiding behind Hanson. When all this purported to be Hanson's version of the real truth, I began to realise that all was not well.
This illustrates very clearly the reason why this account is now been written.
It was Hanson who accepted the draft contribution delivered to her by Gold Coaster Paul Trewartha. It was Hanson who demanded that the two suggested titles, Replies or Expose, be dumped and the work be called The Truth. Since the truth is a matter of either indisputable fact or arrived at by logical deduction in the mind of the reader, it rankled with me that Hanson could presume to inflict her point of view or worse still the views of those who had contributed work yet unseen by her …as the truth. Hanson was quite prepared to reap the donated windfall from the sale of the book, whilst at the same time passing the buck for any possible legal damages that may have occurred.
The advent of the book Pauline Hanson The Truth, revealed an emerging sham that encompassed deceit, lies, manipulation and opportunism. Unfortunately few were to notice.