Pauline Hanson says Australia ‘must be monocultural’ in National Press Club speech

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has taken aim at the major political parties and independent media at the National Press Club. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP View image in fullscreen One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has taken aim at the major political parties and independent media at the National Press Club. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP Pauline Hanson says Australia ‘must be monocultural’ in National Press Club speech One Nation leader denounces high immigration levels, Islam, transgender rights, the ABC and the Guardian in inflammatory address Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Pauline Hanson has declared Australia cannot be multicultural and must exist as a “monocultural society”, warning high migration had caused the country to lose its identity and national values. In an inflammatory address to the National Press Club in Canberra, the One Nation leader pledged to axe SBS and overhaul the ABC if she wins the next federal election , including imposing a licence fee for metropolitan households to watch the public broadcaster. Regional services would be protected. In her first ever address to the club after 30 years in Australian politics , Hanson said western values were under siege, and governments were too “frightened” to crack down on Islamic extremism, including hate preachers in Sydney mosques. One Nation’s health policies based on misconceptions and may cost the taxpayer, experts warn Read more “We turn a blind eye,” she said. “Why? Because we are frightened.” Calling for a slashing of migration to help address the housing crisis, the Queensland senator sought to claim the mantle of a mainstream national leader, better in touch with voters’ concerns than Labor and the Coalition. “We cannot be a multicultural society,” she told the packed club. “We are a multiracial society, but we must be monocultural. Australians must live under the one cultural umbrella.” Hanson also made a broadside attack on transgender rights, pledging to sack Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner and claiming “almost every instrument of government [is] dedicated to a transgender ideology which seeks to redefine humanity”. The 51-minute speech was interrupted by a banner appearing behind the podium which noted Hanson’s opposition to minimum wage increases for low-paid workers. The banner said: “I opposed a pay rise for workers while I took a $100,000 pay rise for myself.” Staff moved quickly to tear down the banner and Hanson later insisted small business owners were being driven to the wall by tough industrial relations rules. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Hanson promised to address the cost-of-living crisis and pledged to increase spending to address homelessness. Asked about abortion policy, Hanson said too many pregnancies were terminated in Australia, calling for the procedure to be banned after 20 weeks. Exemptions would be in place to protect the health of the mot