SARAH FERGUSON: Barnaby Joyce, the focus here is Pauline Hanson’s decision, along with the remarks she made on her podcast and during her appearances with Tommy Robinson. We are not discussing conditions in England.
As shown in the clip we aired, Pauline Hanson was recorded driving through a part of the UK with Muslim residents and Muslim-owned shops, a scene not unlike what people might encounter in Sydney or Melbourne. She made clear she was disgusted by what she saw. She also said Muslims breed and taxpayers foot the bill. Barnaby Joyce, do you agree with that description of Australian Muslims?
BARNABY JOYCE: She also made the point that, obviously, she was not referring to every person of the Islamic faith. But there is an issue in Australia when communities move towards a kind of Balkanisation, where assimilation does not happen and where an alternative culture develops that sits at odds with Australia’s egalitarian values. That creates serious problems, and we saw that at Bondi.
You could not ask for a clearer example, and you cannot deny that Bondi happened. It did. The tragic part is that the people who carried out those murders believed they were doing the right thing. They had no hesitation. In their minds, they thought they were doing God’s work.
SARAH FERGUSON: In this case, Barnaby Joyce, you are saying your leader did not know what she was doing and was unaware of his full biography. That information is readily available online, so I do not accept that. She is endorsing a man with an expect –
BARNABY JOYCE: I’ll answer your question when you finish. It doesn’t matter.
SARAH FERGUSON: I will, thank you very much.
BARNABY JOYCE: You might let me answer it.
SARAH FERGUSON: With an extensive criminal record for violence and fraud.
BARNABY JOYCE: Let me go back and answer the question.
SARAH FERGUSON: Condemned by UK authorities for encouraging race riots and retribution against minorities. My question to you, Barnaby Joyce, is that not a red line?
BARNABY JOYCE: I’m going to answer your first question. No matter what you said, I’m going to answer your first question.
SARAH FERGUSON: Is that not a red line for you?
BARNABY JOYCE: Okay, I’m going to answer your first question now. I didn’t say that she went over there with no knowledge. I said she didn’t go over with a bio of everything that Tommy Robinson had done.
I believe that there’s not a condoning of every action of Tommy Robinson. I don’t think that was ever said. I believe that what is so important there is when they did go to sections of the suburbs and saw something that was ultimately and not a reflection of what most English people would see as England, it’s a sign of where basic society has fractured into two. We also hear areas now where councils are having debates whether they have to speak in English. I mean, this is untenable.
SARAH FERGUSON: I presume that you’ve actually seen the program that we are talking about because if you had, you would be well aware that the engagement between them was warm. But it seems to me, Barnaby Joyce, that your decision to defect to One Nation is dragging you further into a place of intolerance and racial discrimination. You’re defending your leader, but are you really comfortable with where she is taking you?
BARNABY JOYCE: Sit down. Sorry, it’s a dog.
I think that it’s incredibly important. We see that the Australian people also, also have changed their view. We’ve got about 30 per cent of people in the last poll that have clearly said that they want to change in direction in where Australia goes. And what we have obviously, what my role is, is to make sure that we get a proper process that gives the Australian people that choice.
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SARAH FERGUSON: Have you set a limit in your own mind as to how far you are prepared to go in your defence of Pauline Hanson?
BARNABY JOYCE: I’m cogent about everything. When you say set a limit, I’ve heard other things today like she supports returning to the white Australia policy. She doesn’t and she said that quite clearly on the show. She doesn’t support it.
SARAH FERGUSON: Let’s talk about those areas of the interview.
BARNABY JOYCE: The Labor Party policy of the white Australia policy, which was brought in by the Labor Party. We do know that, don’t we?
SARAH FERGUSON: We do. As we saw in the program, Pauline Hanson also met far right MP Rupert Lowe and welcomed his manifesto for mass deportation saying she loved it. She qualified afterwards to say it’s about deporting people who are here illegally. So how would it work? You said today you could wait until overstayers go to see a doctor or a nurse. So will you require GPs and doctors to report visa overstayers to authorities? Is that the policy?
BARNABY JOYCE: I have to apologise for this dog, which has decided to bail out.
SARAH FERGUSON: Don’t worry about the dog. Just answer the question.
BARNABY JOYCE: Don’t be rude. Don’t be rude. Otherwise, this interview will come to a grinding point, Sarah. So what was the question actually?
SARAH FERGUSON: So is it your policy that you are going to require GPs and hospital doctors to report overstayers to authorities?
BARNABY JOYCE: Sarah, that’s ridiculous. What I’ve basically said, illegal immigrants, unless you want to keep illegal immigrants here, then there’s no point in calling them illegal. If they’re illegal, they’re not supposed to be in Australia. That’s why they’re termed illegal immigrants.
SARAH FERGUSON: Yes.
BARNABY JOYCE: And people who are illegal immigrants should be sent home to wherever they come from.
SARAH FERGUSON: The question is, and it was quoting you.
BARNABY JOYCE: That’s the actual answer. You’ve got to get illegal immigrants out of Australia.
SARAH FERGUSON: The question is quoting you from earlier today, how are you going to do it? You suggested today you could use the medical system to identify them.
BARNABY JOYCE: I’m saying from time to time, of course they’re going to come across all range of things, whether it’s health issues, whether it’s parking fines, wherever it is. They’re going to pop up.
And when they pop up, they’ve got to be set off because otherwise the whole things are farce. If we don’t want to enforce our borders, then what are you going to do, Sarah? You’re just going to open the door and let the whole world in. Is that the ABC solution?
