Tense scenes as Hanson confronts unionists

Pauline Hanson has had a slanging match with union leaders following a demonstration about workers' rights outside her Brisbane offices.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson

Pauline Hanson has had a confrontation with union leaders following a workers' rights demonstration. (AAP)

Pauline Hanson and union leaders have accused each other of not standing up for workers rights during a tense confrontation outside her Brisbane office.

The slanging match came after union members held a rally to "flush out" the Senate contender and air concerns about her stance on issues affecting workers and their safety.

Unhappy with what the unions were claiming, Ms Hanson went to speak to them after attending the Senate ballot draw, held nearby.

Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Ros McLellan told Ms Hanson she supported the introduction of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) and had voted for the Workplace Relations Act, a precursor to Work Choices.

"I'm sorry you are wrong. I've had confirmation from the parliament that I did not vote for that so your information has to be incorrect," Ms Hanson replied.

The One Nation leader then took aim at the Labor party, saying it had undermined workers rights with free trade agreements.

"You can't tell me that I am out there to destroy the workers' rights in Australia," she said.

The parties also argued over the Road Safety Renumeration Tribunal and the ABCC, which Ms Hanson said she wouldn't have a view on until she was in parliament and could look at the policy.

Ms Hanson said the union leaders were worried about her being elected.

Ms McLellan fired back, saying the Queensland voters didn't want politicians with an "anti-worker" agenda in parliament.

"Queenslanders need to elect politicians that care about workplace rights that care about workplace safety and that's not you Pauline Hanson," she said.

But Ms Hanson told unionists they were "slamming workers" and not giving them a fair go.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world