Extracts from Channel Nine's Midday Show
15th July 1997

debate between David Oldfield Pauline Hanson's senior political adviser and Stephen Jolly national secretary of Militant Australia.

Here is a transcript of extracts:

KK: Does the Militant organisation find violence acceptable?

SJ: What happened to Warburton was an absolute disgrace.

KK: What happened at that rally?

SJ: Well overall I think it was an absolutely marvellous rally (Dandenong). We outnumbered One Nation 10 to 1. We had a very big contingent of people from the local area...

What we did last night a Werribee (One Nation launch) was we had martials...

Comment: It is my understanding that the protesters started fighting amongst themselves when the moderate members tried to stop violence taking place.

KK: Mr Oldfield what is your reaction to what happened that night (Dandenong)?

DO: Well I think it is hilarious that Mr Jolly would try and distance himself from the responsibility. The fact is he organised the protest. He picked up people at Trade Hall.

SJ (interjecting) That's ridiculous. We didn't organise the protest.

DO: Well Mr Jolly I have a document here from your own publication Militant Australia, your own newsletter which specifically says, "Be at Trades Hall at 4pm return by 9pm the cost is $5 full fare."

SJ (interjecting) That's right we had a coach going to the demonstration. We didn't organise that resolution.. that meeting last week, but we did organise it last night.

DO: Anyway you've had your turn Mr Jolly. Mr Jolly organised the protest - there's no question of that its advertised in his own web page. Now when you organise protests like that and then you try to distance yourself from egg throwers, people who are throwing water or urine or whatever it may have been he also tries to distance himself from the violence. When you call yourself Militant Australia which by virtue of its own name is a very aggressive group how can you distance yourself from the violence and the violence that took place in the case of Mr Warburton?

KK: Certainly Militant can pick up people and take them wherever they want but there is some suggestion Mr Jolly that you simply picked up hooligans.

SJ: Absolutely ridiculous.

KK: So all the people who were there were members of your Militant Party?

SJ: Oh no.

KK: So you will take anybody.

SJ: Of course not.

KK: So you don't restrict your bus to members.

SJ: Let... let... let me answer the question.

KK: That's an easy one do you restrict your bus to members only?

SJ: There is a vast number of people who are requesting to go to these meetings.

KK: So you don't have to be a member.

SJ: We don't let anybody on our bus who wants to bring eggs or act in a violent fashion.

KK: I just want to make a point the people on your bus don't have to be members?

SJ: Every single person on that bus was known to me. I knew every single member on that bus.

LATER...

KK: What is your reaction to the comment (by Victorian One Nation organiser Andrew Carne) that Mr Jolly was responsible for the Tienanmen massacre?

DO: Well I don't refer to people as comrade because unlike yourself (looking at SJ) I am not a communist.

It is my understanding that on another television program that did a bit of an expose on Mr Jolly last week that he was in Tienanmen square 3 days before the massacre...

SJ (interjecting): I was proud to be.

DO (continuing): geeing up the students to rise against the government. So he certainly did them a favour didn't he?

KK: What I would like to ask you is do you think that by taking all those people to the meeting you are intimidating others who are entitled to free speech?

SJ: People attending One Nation meetings like Keith (Warburton - who was attacked) should be allowed to get past and hear what is being said. I myself went into last week's meeting and they allowed me to ask a question and I thank them for that and I tried to expose them....

LATER...

KK: Since that meeting what sort of response have you had, have your members been driven away from meetings?

DO: No in fact at last night's meeting there were to many people for them to be able to get into the hall. Mr Jolly's suggestion that he is always outnumbering...

SJ (interjection) They only had 50 seats.

DO (continuing)... One Nation by 10 to 1. Its clear that its the same 10 to 1 that they bus around everywhere. Now these meetings (Dandenong) are simple branch formation meetings to which a couple of hundred people come. Where Mr Jolly buses around the same couple of hundred people from the three Socialist organisations that are aligned to him.