As we know, One Nation has taken a liking to issuing threats to the government to comply with its demands or get no One Nation support for its legislation in the Senate. The latest threat is about the ABC — One Nation is demanding a massive cut to the ABC or it won’t support the government’s bills. Why? Because, One Nation claims, 7.30‘s Andrew Probyn caused the cancellation of a trip to Afghanistan by a parliamentary delegation that would have consisted of two government, two opposition and two One Nation MPs — senators Hanson and Burston.
That got us wondering exactly why a delegation composed like that was going. One Nation is a small crossbench group in the Senate, but somehow it scored not one but two spots in a six-person delegation. What about other crossbenchers — the Greens? NXT? Jacqui Lambie or Derryn Hinch? It’s almost as if Defence is treating One Nation as the third major parliamentary party (we’ve asked Defence Media, but unsurprisingly they haven’t replied).
And why the hysterical reaction, which includes One Nation “banning” the ABC and Burston actually threatening Probyn on Facebook? If you’re not in the Defence or Foreign Affairs portfolio, a trip to Afghanistan primarily consists of opportunities to don body armour and have your photo snapped with Australians troops. Maybe Hanson and Burston are furious that they’ll miss out on valuable PR material for the next campaign?
I wish they had gone – what bravery we could have seen on our screens. A firefight would have revealed how our proud Anzac traditions have flowered under the One Nation banner. Our veterans would have been in awe. Alas it was not to be. Perhaps another trip to the Great Barrier Reef to fight off global warming instead?
I thought the tinfoil hat party didn’t horse trade. Must be an ass.