Since Pauline Hanson's 1996 maiden speech electrified the nation, she has never been far from media attention. She would probably be the most recognised figure in the country.
Time has shown the content of her speech to be accurate and also that there is nothing so dangerous as speaking an unfashionable truth about immigration.
The establishment set out to get rid of her. The major parties pushed through compulsory preferential voting late one night, which saw her lose Oxley to someone with half her primary vote.
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The Liberals then trumped up a charge of electoral fraud, by paying a dissatisfied One Nation member to claim there was no One Nation Party.
She spent three months of a three year sentence in prison with strip searching and solitary confinement. Queensland's Chief Justice overturned the verdict and she was freed, but Premier Beatty refused any claims for compensation.
She stood for a Queensland state seat, but days before the election Murdoch's Brisbane Courier Mail published, on its cover, a photo of a naked redhead which they claimed was Hanson.
Anyone who knew her unusual eyes could see it wasn't her, but her supporters were rubbished at polling booths and she lost.
After booths closed, the editor phoned her and apologised for a mistake! Compensation was eventually awarded.
She has returned to the Senate and, because of the Turnbull double dissolution, she has a six year term finishing in 2022.
She is sponsoring Bob Katter's Split the Banks Bill (separation of investment from risky trading banks) in the Senate - she is well aware of the dangers to investors of the IMF "bail in", where a failing bank can take depositor's money to save the bank. This has already happened in Cyprus. The Australian banks are now also out to get her.
Now as another election occurs, Qatar government-owned Al Jazeera news are selectively releasing a September 2018 "sting" on her advisors. Al Jazeera set them up in the US with a fake member of the National Rifle Association and secretly filmed them.
The western media are obsessed with possible Russian interference in Trump's election, whilst ignoring relentless US interference in the elections in most democratic countries.
However, when a foreign (Qatar) country interferes here - targeting One Nation - it is fine, as it was when US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, advised us against voting for her on her visit here in 1998. Hypocrisy abounds.
Pauline Hanson's maiden speech list has all been implemented except national service. She has made mistakes, particularly with appointing some of her team. However, she reflects the lives of a lot of Australians.
Every time a journalist or interviewee derides the "fish and chips woman" with "hate speech" she will get more votes. In stark contrast, I know of no personal attacks by her on her persecutors. She represents the real world battlers and a lot of thinking Australians.
- John Carter
