ABC Television 18th February 1999
Cheyenne MacLeod (personal assistant and friend), "The last three years have been the worst in her life. She has copped a lot from the media. She has copped a lot from people who do not support her.
"There has been a tremendous amount of negative press about Pauline over the past few years. Not only about her political experience, but over her private life and her family life and in particular there has been a lot of negativity over the role she has played as a mother - she has bee a poor mother or not a caring mother, that type of thing."
Adam Hanson, "It affects me the way I see the media portraying my mother. It hurts me in the way that I know the truth and when someone portrays my mother as being this - it is not true at all and I say why are they doing this?"
"I either have to look at it in the way of other people's eyes or I can look at it strongly and just push it away which is what I have done."
Pauline talking to Adrian McGregor from "The Australian" talking about a very bad picture of Pauline Hanson...
Pauline Hanson, "That picture of my face, I think you picked the worst bloody picture that you could find."
McGregor, "I didn't choose it."
Hanson, "Then who do I go to to complain?"
McGregor, "Well I guess that would be the pictorial editor in Sydney. It was'nt a bad picture"
Hanson, "Come on Adrian pull the other leg."
McGregor (uncomfortable), "You look ... you look like you are being firm, strong."
Hanson, "You put this perception across to people that I am this real hard lined woman and that's what the photo says."
"It is a hard battle to beat the media, I don't know if I will ever be able to."
"I have got another bone to pick with you."
McGregor, Uh huh, right..."
Interview ends...
Pauline Hanson, "You know I wake up in the morning sometimes and see the pictures in the paper and read the stories and I throw my hands in the air and I say "What for?" They come to my meetings and they sit there. They hear what comes from the heart, they know the reaction that I get from the public. They misreport the numbers that come to my meetings and then they say that there are more protesters than what there are. They don't report that people are actually being spat on and abused. They don't say what I have to go through to attend these meetings so (that) people have the opportunity to listen to me and to what I have to say."
"And they call me a racist and a bigot and put across that I am this uncaring woman. I am standing up for people who have fought for this country - that we can hand on a better country. I am not trying to divide this country I am trying to unite us and to say that we are all Australians. Treat everyone equal and the same under the one law."
Later, Hanson, "I said (to my father) you will never change anything unless you go out there and have a go."
Lee Hanson (daughter), "She has gone through so much abuse and all she wants to do is make Australia a better place for her children. They (the media) won't put across the points she is trying to make to people. When they put across the view that she is racist, that she is doing the wrong thing for this country when in matter of fact they don't know what she is trying to do."
Adam Hanson (son), "I am very honoured to have her as my mother, I am very privileged to have the mother that I have. And it makes me happy inside and gives me the edge to strive for what I believe in because Mum always said whatever you want in life you have got to do it yourself. If you want something that bad you go out and get it."
Pauline Hanson, "To be compared to Hitler is about the most hurtful thing that has ever happened in my life. It is vile, it is disgusting that people would even try to compare me with Hitler. What have I ever said or ever done that will allow people to relate me to Hitler. They are disgusting." (The media, especially The Courier-Mail, have pushed this line through opinion pieces).
Cheyenne, "She's often portrayed as being this very fiery person. She is very determined but there is selective media reports which will only portray that small section. She has a hard side and she has a soft side but generally the media portray this negative, fiery, harsh person which is not a true indication of what Pauline is like."
Program moves to unethical recording of off the record meeting with the press in September 1998 - uncut it goes as follows, as shown on "Australian Story" (authorised for use by Pauline). Margo Kingston seen in background seated at table taking notes of the discussion the entire time:
Pauline Hanson speaking to the media, "I had a lot of good response yesterday but you did not see that part and there was nothing in here (holding paper) saying that I got a good response."
Female reporter grunts...
Cheyenne talk over, "Prior to the Federal election there was media coverage of Pauline daily."
Pauline again, "No way in the bloody wide world am I going to allow the media to make me lose it because of stories like this which come across so negative for the fact that people are not interested in wanting to talk to me and go out creating such a negative story when it didn't really happen that way at all."
Cheyenne talk over, "They were shooting and taking notes and recording everything
Throughout the whole day. In the evening there would be a snippet of an eight second grab or something which would be a negative statement or something to portray Pauline in a bad light."
Pauline, "I don't know whether it is your boss behind you which says 'Right we want something here that is going to put her down and have a shot at her'. If that is the way it is then please go away from me now I don't need you."
Cheyenne talk over, "There was nothing positive ever shown throughout that period."
Pauline Hanson leaning over and talking to Margo Kington, "I will complain if this comes out because I said that this is off the record I just don't want this covered."
Looks at photographer, "Are you still taking photos?"
You know when I speak to you like this and I say 'It is off the record' is it really off the record?"
Reporter, "Yes of course it is. We are honourable people."
Programme moves on...
Hanson, "The day after the (October 1998) election I woke up to have a barrage of media at my front gate. It was an absolute intrusion it was like the vultures were back again to see what piece of me they could get again."
Pauline Hanson and the "fashion shoot" covered by The Sunday Mail,
"I know at different times I have been set up by the media."
Reporter at the fashion shoot talking to Pauline Hanson, "Australian made yeah that's what I would like to report about because ... voice fades out.
"A classic example of a betrayal is when I did a media shoot on fashion and I wanted to promote Australian made products.
"When I opened up that newspaper and read the story I was devastated because I strictly said to quite a few people why I was doing the story. To actually read the story, after they did the fashion shoot they took the photos, went to different fashion consultants and said 'Would I make a good model'. It had no truth to it whatsoever because I didn't want to be a model I didn't particularly want to do the fashion shoot, (I was trying to help Australian fashion industry). I don't want to be a model, I am a politician."
"I know that I have no come back, I can't do anything I have got my hands tied so what do you do? They control it, they actually control everything."
Closing...
Pauline Hanson to Adrian McGregor of The Australian, "You didn't clarify what the vote was lost on."
McGregor, "I didn't actually write that story, sure if that wasn't explained you have got a good reason to complain. Am I on television? You are used to it I am not..." Laughing..
End of segment...
Pauline Hanson, "The journalists out there, oh yes they made me, because here was this woman, big joke who came from a fish and chip shop, some still refer to me as that, that she has come onto the scene she was news, she sells newspapers, so it was all this we will feed of her we can make some money out of her. But now its like in Australia the tall poppy syndrome, we will only let you get so far and then you start hurting the establishment - we have got to get rid of you so we will cut you off at the knees. So it's like a lot of journalists out there with their own agenda or being told by their bosses or their editors get her."
Destroy her."
The resignation of One Nation MPs...
Pauline Hanson, "The events of last week were so devastating I could not believe what was actually happening. I was ready to just pack up, go away... I had had enough. And the only man who pulled me out of it was David Oldfield, so here's this man who gets criticised as if he has taken over and he wears that much flack that he does not deserve. He's the one, he's the only what that's why I am still here.
"He said you can't let them beat you - we have come this far its just another little hick up. We've had this before and we have got over it. And he said you can't and he said you aren't going anywhere.
"For Barbara Hazelton to make the comment in the media that I was in love with David Oldfield was an outright lie. I have a lot of time for David and we have a working relationship nothing else and Barbara has got no basis to say anything else like I was in love with him. They are utter lies."
Closing...
Pauline Hanson, "It would be so easy for me to turn my back and walk away. I would love to have a life and have my children around me without the media probing into my private life and to settle down with someone to spend my life with, but I am not prepared to do that yet. I wish people would give me the time to prove that I can be their leader, that I can do it. I am not going anywhere."
I am not fan of PH but I do believe she has the right to speak. What I have a problem is with her being continuously referred to as evil and hitler - it's just ridiculous, there is no comparison.
I recon the majority of Australian 'citizens' of any decent level of IQ should LISTEN, with an UNBIASED view to what is actually being said and written by the party...THEN, and only then, do they have a right to make comments. A FAIR GO is all she asks...and has a right to expect. I wonder just how many of the 'protesters' are those who would be so-called disadvantaged by the party policies. We have been a 'hand-out' society too long. Government social policies have done their best to 'break up' families and aboriginal communities. GOOD ON'YA PAULINE...for bringing these social issues to the forefront of peoples minds... When I came to this country 25 years ago it was a great country...but it has steadily declined in morals, and equality for all. We still have a lot to be proud of...but we could return to being a great country again if more people would take up the causes of ONE NATION. It was also refreshing to watch a reasonaby unbiased progrma on the subject of Pauline Hanson. Good on'ya ABC...keep it up!
What a great show, she still has my vote and I think the media have an awful lot to answer to. I think she has a lot a guts and courage to do what she is doing. Good Luck to her and her party.