Mr AH KIT - 1997-04-30
Pauline Hanson was invited recently to the Territory by the Country Liberal Party. At the time, neither the Chief Minister nor the Deputy Chief Minister distanced himself from the views espoused by Pauline Hanson. Since then, her book has appeared, reviling as it does Aboriginals and Asians. While neither the Chief Minister nor the Deputy Chief Minister will stand up for Aboriginal Territorians, will the Chief Minister now distance himself from Pauline Hanson's inflammatory views on Asian Territorians?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the member for Arnhem invited Pauline Hanson to come to the Territory.
Mr Bailey: Not for a fundraiser like you mob did.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: I will say that again, Mr Speaker. Earlier, I was rudely interrupted by the member for Wanguri. It was the member for Arnhem, who has just asked that question, who in fact ...
Mr Ah Kit: Many months ago.
Mr STONE: Many months ago, you invited Pauline Hanson to the Territory. I suppose there might be some people who would congratulate you on that initiative.
Mr Ah Kit: It was not a fundraiser.
Mr STONE: But you invited her. You went on, I think it was the Fred McCue program, and you said that you thought it a good idea. You said: `Come on up, Pauline. Come up and visit the Territory and I will take you and show you what it is all about'. At no time were the member for Arnhem or, indeed, the member for Arafura critical of Pauline Hanson coming to the Territory. The member cannot get to his feet this morning and try to rewrite history. He invited her.
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As for the allegation that the CLP invited her, that is simply not true. She did not have an invitation from the CLP.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister will please resume his seat. There is far too much interjection from the opposition benches. A question has been asked and the Chief Minister is attempting to answer it. I would appreciate some decorum in the House.
Mr STONE: Even if she had, so what? This is a democracy. You are entitled to listen to whomever you wish to listen to. You do not have to agree with them. You do not have to endorse their views. I urge members opposite not to come into this Chamber and tell us whom we may or may not talk to.
Mr Ah Kit: You cannot have it both ways.
Mr STONE: Am I mistaken? Wasn't the member for Arnhem actually at the meeting with Pauline Hanson in Katherine?
Mr Ah Kit: Yes, I was there.
Mr STONE: He was there.
Mr Ah Kit: I wanted to see how silly she is.
Mr STONE: You talk out of both sides of your mouth. You come in here and try to run a line, knowing Question Time is being broadcast to Territorians. However, you do not tell them that you invited her in the first place and that you went to a meeting with her in Katherine. I do not attempt to say to you that you should not talk to her, that you should not meet her, or that you should not listen to her point of view. This is a democracy. Everyone is entitled to listen to another person's point of view. However, you do not have to accept it or adopt it. That is the reality. That is the system we have.
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr STONE: If you would stop interjecting and let me finish - I would have thought that members opposite would have been among the first to uphold the rights of free speech and association in this country. They are the great advocates of freedom of information.
Mrs Hickey: What do you think of her book?
Mr STONE: I have not read the book.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr STONE: I suppose I should pick up the interjection. The fact is that, when the member for Arnhem was director of the NLC, he ran whites-only meetings and blacks-only
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meetings. He may well laugh, but that is the truth. That is the measure of him and what he represents.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the member for Arnhem invited Pauline Hanson to come to the Territory.
Mr Bailey: Not for a fundraiser like you mob did.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: I will say that again, Mr Speaker. Earlier, I was rudely interrupted by the member for Wanguri. It was the member for Arnhem, who has just asked that question, who in fact ...
Mr Ah Kit: Many months ago.
Mr STONE: Many months ago, you invited Pauline Hanson to the Territory. I suppose there might be some people who would congratulate you on that initiative.
Mr Ah Kit: It was not a fundraiser.
Mr STONE: But you invited her. You went on, I think it was the Fred McCue program, and you said that you thought it a good idea. You said: `Come on up, Pauline. Come up and visit the Territory and I will take you and show you what it is all about'. At no time were the member for Arnhem or, indeed, the member for Arafura critical of Pauline Hanson coming to the Territory. The member cannot get to his feet this morning and try to rewrite history. He invited her.
Page 2088
As for the allegation that the CLP invited her, that is simply not true. She did not have an invitation from the CLP.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister will please resume his seat. There is far too much interjection from the opposition benches. A question has been asked and the Chief Minister is attempting to answer it. I would appreciate some decorum in the House.
Mr STONE: Even if she had, so what? This is a democracy. You are entitled to listen to whomever you wish to listen to. You do not have to agree with them. You do not have to endorse their views. I urge members opposite not to come into this Chamber and tell us whom we may or may not talk to.
Mr Ah Kit: You cannot have it both ways.
Mr STONE: Am I mistaken? Wasn't the member for Arnhem actually at the meeting with Pauline Hanson in Katherine?
Mr Ah Kit: Yes, I was there.
Mr STONE: He was there.
Mr Ah Kit: I wanted to see how silly she is.
Mr STONE: You talk out of both sides of your mouth. You come in here and try to run a line, knowing Question Time is being broadcast to Territorians. However, you do not tell them that you invited her in the first place and that you went to a meeting with her in Katherine. I do not attempt to say to you that you should not talk to her, that you should not meet her, or that you should not listen to her point of view. This is a democracy. Everyone is entitled to listen to another person's point of view. However, you do not have to accept it or adopt it. That is the reality. That is the system we have.
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr STONE: If you would stop interjecting and let me finish - I would have thought that members opposite would have been among the first to uphold the rights of free speech and association in this country. They are the great advocates of freedom of information.
Mrs Hickey: What do you think of her book?
Mr STONE: I have not read the book.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr STONE: I suppose I should pick up the interjection. The fact is that, when the member for Arnhem was director of the NLC, he ran whites-only meetings and blacks-only
Page 2089
meetings. He may well laugh, but that is the truth. That is the measure of him and what he represents.
Page 2090
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016