HANSON IS HERE
FNQ CANDIDATES WELCOME LEADER’S
ONE Nation candidates are hopeful of a much-needed profile boost with the expected arrival in Cairns today of party leader Senator Pauline Hanson.
Senator Hanson plans to visit Mareeba and Mossman, joining Cook candidate Jen Sackley as part of a regional listening tour.
It will be the first time the right-wing party leader has visited the Far North since the election was called three weeks ago.
The exclusive poll last Saturday showed support for One Nation was strong in the key seat of Cairns, with candidate Ian Hodge recording 13 per cent of the vote, the third-highest behind Labor’s Michael Healy (37 per cent) and the LNP’s Sam Marino (32 per cent).
Ms Sackley said she was very happy to welcome Senator Hanson back to Far North Queensland today, and to allow locals to speak to her about key issues such as concerns about potential closure of Mareeba Hospital.
Funding cuts to the hospital have had locals fearing the health facility will have its services downgraded.
“She’s very, very keen to hear what’s happening in these regional areas,” Ms Sackley said. “She’s very, very strong about the Mareeba Hospital being sustained.
“She’s very, very concerned about the community awareness and concerns they’ve had around this issue of losing their hospital.
“And she’s also aware of the bottom line stuff, like (Cairns economist) Bill Cummings’ report telling us about the population growth up here.
“Why would we possibly be winding back hospitals?”
She expected to be able to discuss more local issues with Ms Hanson, with a view to making a local policy announcement this afternoon.
One Nation Cairns candidate Ian Hodge believed Far Northern voters desired a political change from the two major parties.
“There’s no doubt about that,” he said. “Whether that leaves a situation where I’m in front, we’ll see.
“But from what I’ve seen so far, it’s all been very positive.”
Mr Hodge said his campaign would benefit greatly from the party’s leader visiting Cairns, due to her rising popularity among voters.
“She’s got the right message, and we support that message,” he said. “She’s taken on the tough issues.
“She’s got a spine that the major (parties) lack, and there’s a very big support base for Pauline Hanson here.
“And she’s travelled extensively through the regions, for a considerable amount of time.”
There has been three One Nation state MPs since the party was established in 1997, including Tablelands MPs Shaun Nelson and Rosa Lee Long, and Mulgrave MP Charles Rappolt.
Mr Nelson quit the party to become an independent politician just one year after he was elected in 1999, while Mr Rappolt quit parliament entirely after he was elected in 1998.