THE political vermin called Get Up have admitted to being the instigators of the banner stunt at Pauline Hanson’s address to the National Press Club on Wednesday.
Hanson’s chief of staff, James Ashby, told media afterwwards that there were safety concerns around Pauline’s security and the Canberra media club should impose a lifetime ban on the activist group, including the organisation’s media and campaign organiser, David Sharaz.
Sharaz, incidentally, is the partner of Brittany Higgins, the former junior staffer for West Australian Liberal senator Linda Reynolds, who was embroiled in the rape allegation scandal involving another Reynolds staffer Bruce Lehrmann.
The media club issued an apology to Hanson and said neither its staff nor its contractors had any involvement in the incident and that it was the work of third parties. Footage has been handed to the Australian Federal Police.
GetUp claimed responsibility for the stunt, which involved remotely unfurling a banner that said, “I opposed a pay rise for workers while I took a $100,000 pay rise for myself”. The banner was unfurled shortly after Hanson started speaking.
Hanson was apparently distracted momentarily by the banner but continued giving her speech.
Ashby said he had been assured by members of the Press Club and the AFP that Senator Hanson had the same level of security as was provided to Israeli government representatives who were recently spoke at the club, which was one step above the security provided to the PM.
“What signal does this send to dignitaries if vigilante groups and protesters like GetUp are allowed to do that? I think the National Press Club should be looking very closely at their constitution for a way in which to impose a lifetime ban on GetUp and its members who were there, and I am pointing my finger specifically at David Sharaz.”
Meanwhile Joel Jammal of Turning Point Australia half seriously likened the Get Up stunt to an ISIS terrorist attack.
He also did a fact check on GetUp’s attack message that Hanson took a $100,000 parliamentary pay rise while voting against a Bill giving a pay rise to workers.
Jammal noted that it was Albanese who legislated the pay levels that were set on the number of MPs your party has – five sitting members being “major party” status. The move clearly benefitted the Greens while penalising ON, the Teals and others who had their staff cut.
However, after ON won two more Senate seats at the last federal election and Barnaby Joyce defected from the Nationals, the party had the five sitting members for major party status, thereby dramatically lifting the leader’s salary. David Farley (Farrer) has now brought that up to six sitting members.
Jammal also explained that Hanson voted against the pay rise Bill because she was concerned about its effect on small business operators in addition to a raft of other issues attached to the Bill.
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