31st May 1998
Commentary by Scott Balson
Global Web Builders
Clouds and slow falling rain could not dampen our spirits. I was picked up from my home just after 7am by Pauline Hanson's One Nation Queensland State Director Peter James.
On the way to Gympie we talked over a whole range of issues with the latest Sunday Mail poll revealing that One Nation's state deputy leader, Ian Petersen, would win Gympie from the National Party dominating the conversation.
The mood was buoyant... discussion was brisk.
The phenomenal growth and the smooth progression towards the June 13 election was nothing short of remarkable for such a fledgling party.... we all had a lot to thank Pauline Hanson's political adviser, David Oldfield, for for the major roll that he continued to play in this.
We arrived at Gympie, two hours drive north of Brisbane, at about 9.30am and Peter went straight into a Queensland Executive Campaign Committee (QECC) meeting.
Last
time I was here, just six months before in late October
1997, the mood had been very, very different. There had been dissension
in the ranks and Pauline Hanson had said, "I am
just one voice. I could not do this without you. This is only going to work
if we work as a team."
The branch presidents, seen right, had gathered at a time of crisis when the two David's were being accused by some of disloyalty and there was a feeling of concern and a mood that the Hanson phenomenon was slipping from our grasp.
The media had played up to the mood at the time and tried to destroy One Nation. Luckily they had failed and the image below shows the most remarkable transformation of the party during the intervening six months.
The image below (made up of four takes, excuse the overlaps) shows about 70 of the state candidates gathered in one spot... a historic photo with the largest number of One Nation candidates ever gathered in one place.
Here we have a party that was supposed to have died, gone away, ceased to exist according to the media and the mainstream parties. The truth defied their ill-sought logic. People power, based on very real concerns, focused through the Hanson phenomenon, had shaken the political system to its very roots. And the major parties, stunned by the development told the media that they would refuse to work with One Nation.
Well, just maybe, that signs the death knell of the major parties as the people have had enough of their lies. One thing is for sure, Australian politics will never be the same again.
While
the QECC gathered in the room where the future of One Nation was discussed
just 6 months before, the candidates gathered below with friends and a large
number of One Nation supporters from Gympie.
It was a memorable scene, a small religious group, Living Waters, sang Christian songs in an upper level, their music filled the air.... below over five hundred One Nation supporters milled, talked... there was a sense of expectation, elation and confidence.
One could see that people in Queensland believed that they really and truly could once again have a say in Australian politics.
As ever Pauline was the great listener. There were people from all racial groups, all supporters, all caught up in the mood and the time.
Foolishly
I picked up on the suggestion that I should take a picture of Pauline together
with the large number of Asian supporters who had come to the event. My argument
was that when people out there could see the support that people from all
groups gave to Pauline Hanson's One Nation it would blow the media-inspired
fallacy that this was an anti-Asian, anti-Aboriginal "racist" party.
Photo right: Deputy state leader, Ian Petersen, (Gympie).
Pauline responded "No, I will not use people. We must do what is right for Australians and never, ever be accused of using them for political advantage."
Just before lunch time the three leaders, Pauline Hanson, Heather Hill (state political leader) and her deputy Ian Peterson gave speeches.
Both Heather and Pauline took the media to task for biased reporting with Heather Hill emotionally relating how the media's lies about One Nation being a racist party had severely strained her long-standing friendship with a Chinese family in Ipswich who were now concerned to be associated with her... because of what the media were reporting. While Heather spoke Pauline watched and smiled almost entranced... while Ian clapped and clapped... he was not alone.
When Pauline spoke she did something that I have never seen done before. She asked everybody to rise, hold hands and join her in singing the national anthem. I held hands with a young Phillippino boy, one of many Asians in the crowd...
It was a stirring moment lost to the Australian population as the media continued to pursue their lines of a divisive, racist party to the population at large.
The media taking their chance to misrepresent, misreport after Pauline's speech. The day before the Toowoomba Chronicle had totally misrepresented Pauline on the abortion issue.
When asked whether she supported abortions Pauline had replied that she believed that this was a personal issue and that women should be allowed to decide for themselves what to do. She made it clear that this was her personal opinion as One Nation did not have a policy on the issue.
The Toowoomba Chronicle had headlined that the One Nation party was pro-abortion. Unethical but typical trash written by the media.
After the speeches the gathering enjoyed a relaxed bar-b-que with a number of old and familiar faces dominating the front of the line!
The
food was excellent, meat stored in a deep freeze from the
One Nation
birthday party.
While the bar-b-que was on it was time to catch Pauline, Heather and Ian for a couple of photos in and around the Gympie showgrounds.
In the photos below Ian Heather and Pauline are joined by Vanessa Stuart in the Gympie Showgrounds hall and then, later, on the racetrack... ready to be first past the post on election day.
For those who have any doubts this is what it is all about.... seats in parliament...
When we returned the historic photo of the group (above) was taken together
with the photo on the right showing part of the group together with the One
Nation leadership.
It was then time to get down to business with the announcement of some state portfolios.
| Candidate | Seat | Portfolio |
| Heather Hill | Ipswich | Family Services, Unemployment |
| Bill Fedlman | Caboolture | Police and Corrective Services |
| Ian Petersen | Gympie | Treasurer, Primary Industries and Forestry |
| Jeff Knuth John Fairfax |
Burdekin Merrimac |
Fisheries and Marine |
| Peter Prenzler | Lockyer | Local Government and Planning |
| David Cockburne | Crows Nest | Natural Resources |
| John Kingston | Maryborough | Environment |
| Dorothy Pratt | Barambah | Community Based Referendum |
| Neil Pitt | Springwood | Small Business and Industry |
| Rosita Petch | Broadwater | Health |
| Peter Boniface | Cairns | Tourism |
| Roy Schell | Mooloolah | Transport and Main Roads |
| Brian Annear-Walker | Chatsworth | Education |
Other portfolios yet to be announced.
We
moved up to the room in which the traumatic meeting had taken place just
six months before. The mood was very different. It was electric...
In the photo on the right the three leaders stand in front of the gathered state candidates in the room..
The discussions centered around policy directions with Pauline and those handling the portfolios taking a very active role.
One
of the policy directions relating to health given by Rosita Petch (seen here
left) was leaked by a "white ant" in the room to the media. The direction
included a return to practical hospital based training for nurses.
The policy was branded as "a simplistic and even dangerous response to a complex issue" by the ALP's pawn, Queensland Nurses Union president Gay Hawkesworth. However the union leaders comments have already been disputed by a number of nurses who support the proposal.
Heather Hill spoke about the threats by the major parties to call for a second election if One Nation held the balance of power.
"As they go to the governor, we will go to the people," Heather said, "it's about time that Borbidge and Beattie started acting like adults."
I returned to Ipswich with Heather Hill and her husband Ken. We were all extremely pleased about the warmth, positive mood, unity and confidence that the party had displayed.
The discussions on the trip back was interrupted on several occasions by journalists contacting Heather on her mobile phone wanting comments about the Borbidge/Beattie line that they would refuse to form a government with Pauline Hanson's One Nation.
The reality of the unjust political system currently in place came home to roost.
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