Wednesday 20th May 1998

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Today's Headlines
an Aussie's viewpoint on Australia's first daily Internet newspaper.
Since October 1995

One Nation set to hold the balance of power in Queensland state election:

Yesterday the panic buttons came out in force in the Labor ranks as Queensland state premier Rob Borbidge confirmed that he was seeing the state governor and that the elections would be on 13th June.

One Nation candidate for Ipswich West, Jack Paff, seen here right ,was singled out by Labor minister Bob Gibbs under the privilege of parliament. Gibbs was involved in a couple of very interesting, yet undisclosed, 'mix with the law' in the early 1980s when Sergeant Paff had reason to attend to the issues.

The move by Gibbs was an obvious knee-jerk reaction as he realised that he might have to face Paff in parliament after the June 13 election.

Speaking in parliament Gibbs said, "This fellow should be disendorsed, is a public disgrace and does not deserve to be a candidate for any party in this Parliament. I call on Ms Hanson today to make immediate steps that his endorsement be withdrawn." Saying this after calling Jack Paff a "criminal, a thug and a liar". 

After investigating the allegation Ms Hanson came out in support of Jack Paff. Gibbs had referred to a  case in which then Sergeant Jack Paff had, in 1983, been found guilty of harassing a tenant who had allegedly trashed his rental home.

It was interesting to note that Gibbs had made the same allegation against Paff under the safety of Parliamentary privilege in 1983 - resulting in this very minor case being blown up by the Courier Mail in late November, early December 1983.

The papers reported at that time that Gibbs had called Paff, "a liar, a fabricator, a coward, a trespasser, an assailant and an harasser". At that stage Sergeant Paff had referred to the basis of Gibb's extraordinary outburst - one that Gibbs repeated yesterday.

The incident could very well blow up in Bob Gibbs face as his cowardly action in raising the issue two hours after Parliament was suspended ensured that no parliamentary right of reply could be given until after the June 13 state election.

For one thing Pauline Hanson confirmed that One Nation preferences would, uniquely at this stage, be directed against Bob Gibbs in his seat. She made it clear that any gutless action like that taken by a politician against a citizen like Paff who, under the circumstances, could not protect themselves would realise the same result.

It is quite likely that Gibbs will now lose his state seat.

Today, for the first time, the major parties are conceding that One Nation could well hold the balance of power after June 13.

Pauline Hanson talks at Gatton.

A large crowd of over 400 gathered last night at Gatton to hear Pauline Hanson speak about the issues facing Australia today.

Her speech included coverage of her state policies, the treachery of the major parties in selling Australia to the multinationals and the challenges faced by One Nation in the upcoming election.

It was Peter James, the new State Director's first opportunity to take a high profile at a One Nation meeting and, as Chairman of the meeting he did extremely well.

David Oldfield was there in the shadows playing a major role in keeping the party's views on issues clear to the media while Pauline was otherwise engaged.

Below are a collection of pictures taken from the Gatton meeting last night:

Pauline Hanson Left to right: Addressing the crowd; with Peter James; with Blair campaign co-ordinator Ross McConnell:

State Director Peter James addressing the crowd and with Ross McConnell.

Part of the crowd at the Gatton hall.

Not race  -but the influence of multinationals the issue.

This and the federal election  will not be a race based election as the mainstream media would have you believe this is an election in which the voter decides whether he wants his children to be the slaves of multinational interests in the 21st Century.

The major parties have sold our country to the new world order without any mandate from "populist" Australia to do so. The Australian winners from this policy can be counted on one hand while the losers abound and you will see the standards of living fall even further unless One Nation achieves a position where they can put a stop to the rot.

Today at 9.15am the three muskateers, Jack Paff, Collene Hughes and myself will protest outside the National Australia Bank in Ipswich. This will be a prime time to catch the clients waiting to enter the bank - which now opens at 9.30am.

This major bank's branch in a major city will close soon after the next federal election as the superbanks merge with National Australia Bank and Westpac becoming one and the new NAB face being called National Asia Pacific.

The losers will, of course, be the very people the major parties are trying to woo with promises of reducing unemployment while they play footsie under the table cloth with the multinationals.

Here is a copy of the media statement, that I will, be handing out today and a link to a copy of the document being handed out at the protest:

Media statement:

‘The coming state and federal elections will not have race as the major future issue as the mainstream media would have you believe. These are elections in which the voter decides whether or not he wants his children to be slaves of multinational interests in the 21st Century.

‘The Labor and Coalition parties play footsie-footsie with multinationals under the table cloth while trying to keep a straight face with the people they are supposed to represent but don’t.’

‘Pauline Hanson is vilified by the media and the mainstream parties because she has had a unique opportunity to look under the table cloth, to recognise the game being played and has had the courage to bring the issue firmly onto the table in the glare of the public spotlight much to the discomfort of those seated around it.’

I issue two challenges:

Firstly, I challenge the National Australia Bank to refute that:

• the same foreign interests today hold major stakes in all four of Australia’s big banks.
• the plans for a merger with Westpac to form a superbank are all but complete with the move being shelved until after the next federal election.
• the result of this move will result in over 10,000 staff from these two banks alone losing their careers and their livelihood in the banking industry as hundreds of branches are closed as a result of this superbank merger.
• for the poor around Australia the ATM will soon become their only physical interface with the National Australia Bank.
• the new ‘merged’ bank will be called National Asia Pacific and will focus on overseas markets in the drive to become a major banking force in the Asian region for its foreign owners.

On making these claims I challenge the National Australia Bank to guarantee a payment of Au$10 million to social welfare services in Ipswich if either of the following related claims I make below eventuate or are announced before the year 2000 just 18 months away:

• That this branch of National Australia Bank in Brisbane street will be closed.
• That the National Australia Bank will be involved in a super bank merger (most probably with Westpac) causing the closure of hundreds of branches in both banks around the country.

I will personally guarantee Au$10,000 to Ipswich’s social services on 1 January 2000 if the National Australia Bank accepts my challenge and I am proved to be wrong.

I further challenge both the federal Coalition and the Labor parties to refute that:

• they have both presided over the bureaucrats and approved their decisions to allow the financial services industry agreement (FSIA) to be approved and/or later amended without any public debate.
• the FSIA, an international treaty, has been hidden from the Australian voter but has been openly negotiated with vested interests in the World Trade Organisation and that it is a major link in the unfolding scenario described above with the National Australia Bank and all other major Australian banks, including the Commonwealth bank, now being effectively foreign controlled.

Wayne Goss and the porky pie

A self-explanatory letter to the Queensland Times yesterday:

The Editor
Queensland Times

Dear Sir,

The Queensland Times tells us on the 28th February 1998 that Pauline Hanson formerly announced that she was going to stand for the seat of Blair. Up until this time there had been a lot of media hype but no formal decision from the only person who knew where she was going to stand.

The Queensland Times also tells us on the 16th January 1998 that Wayne Goss decided not to stand for the seat of Oxley. The decisions given at the time were very different to those raised in your paper on May 19th... in fact Wayne Goss is either suffering from delusions of grandeur or displaying the talent of many leading ‘politicians’ in this country.. telling porky pies while re-writing history on the run.

In your 19/05 paper under the heading ‘Hanson move made Goss decision easy’ you quote Labor’s leading light Wayne Goss as saying ‘In the end I wasn’t going to be running against her (Pauline Hanson), and that I suppose was another factor that took away some of the challenge of politics’. You also state in the article, and I quote, ‘He said yesterday his decision not to contest Oxley was made easier by Ms Hanson’s decision to shift to Blair following a redistribution of the federal boundaries’.

Quite simply Mr Goss told porky pies in this interview. For those of you who read the article think about all the other porky pies that the ALP have thrown at you during election time when they want to get your vote.

Pauline Hanson get slammed for telling it as it is but here you have a man who is quoted by the media as being ‘intelligent, diplomatic, a great politician’ as showing his real side. I am surprised that the QT did not pick up on the obvious animality in his comments.

Pauline Hanson inspires people because of her frank honesty. This sets her apart from the also rans, you know, the likes of Wayne Goss, Peter Beattie and Rob Borbidge. This mob are not interested in what people need - just interested in internal party politics and their careers - this is what sets Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party apart, it is a people’s party right down the middle of politics today.

Scott Balson, Karana Downs

You say:

Subject: Comments on Australian News of the Day

Dear Sir,

I have a few thoughts on the event held at Pauline Hanson's property, based on your photos of the people who attended. These photos show a series of very normal Australian people of both genders and all ages and backgrounds, who are representative of that average tolerant, easy going and generous, and normally non political, Australian who is currently so fed up to the back teeth with both the major parties and the media empire to which they kow tow. And, of course, this is the very reason why the mainstream media, long used to dictating what the Australian population should think and believe, are at such pains to depict these very normal, average Australians as the personification of all that is evil.

Carol

Personal trivia, from the global office:

Another perfect day in paradise. All fun and games at the bank....

Have a good one.

Recent stories exclusive to  (how to) subscribe/rs of the Australian National News of the Day:

Unethical trifecta expose Courier Mail's intellectual prostitutes - 9th May 1998
MIGA - son of MAI exposed - 8th May
Just me and Pauline - 5th May
One Nation breakfast - 4th May
Just who are the Mont Pelerin Society - 3rd May
The Internet and the DEATH of the MAI - 30th April  
Launch of Pauline Hanson's re-election campaign - 29th April  
Second One Nation protest surprises Bob McMullan - 28th April  
Sultan of Brunei buys up big tracks of Australia - then negotiates Indonesian "settlements" 25th April
Maritime Union of Australia win in the Federal Court 22nd April
Just who is behind the dock war? 19th April
One Nation Birthday Party on Pauline Hanson's farm 10th-12th April
One Nation state and federal candidates meet in Toowoomba 4th -5th April

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