Politics

‘Playing the Asian card’: Pauline Hanson’s war of words with Penny Wong

Penny Wong and Pauline Hanson have come to blows. Picture source: Getty

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has hit back at Labor senator Penny Wong after she said it was offensive to be compared to Hanson.

During a Budget Estimates hearing on Tuesday, Wong became visibly upset and agitated when Finance Minister Mathias Cormann implied the senator was channelling Hanson. Wong, who has clashed with the One Nation leader in the past, particularly over comments she made about the Asian community, said the comments were “personally offensive”. The heated exchange occurred after Wong questioned why the government had negotiated a deal with the One Nation party to support company tax cuts.

“Actually, that’s a little offensive. She thinks people like me were swamping Australia,” Wong said.

Cormann said Wong was speaking Hanson’s words, which fired her up even more.

“We don’t channel Pauline Hanson,” she hit back. “You’re the ones who cosy up to her and let her write tax policy and government policy in order to get her vote.”

Wong, who was born in Malaysia but moved to Australia when she was eight, explained to Cormann why she was so offended by his comments.

“I can tell you what happened to me and my family and people like us when she stood up in the parliament, possibly before you were here, saying Australia was in danger of being swamped by Asians,” she continued. “Someone Asian, ‘You’re channelling Pauline Hanson?’ How dare you – It is not confected.”

She asked Cormann to withdraw and apologise for his comments.

Hanson later appeared on 2GB radio with Ben Fordham, where she said she thought Wong was nothing but an actress. She said she was “having a chuckle to herself” over the disagreement and described it as “a load of bunkum”.

“I’ve seen her performance on the floor of parliament, she’s a great actress,” Hanson said. “This is a great performance on her part. She finds it offensive? What a load of hogwash.”

Hanson also implied Wong was playing “the Asian card”.

“She’s playing the Asian card, she’s playing the female card and I’m sick and tired of it,” Hanson said. “She knows she’s on camera, it’s all a performance. People are fed up with it. I’m sick and tired as well. Deal with the issues and deal with the politics. Stop being a performer. That’s all they are.”

Hanson added she wanted to see Wong talk about what she’s going to do for Australia, rather than play the victim in parliament.

Wong later took to Twitter to defend her stance.

“No. This is who I am. And what I believe,” she said. “I will never do anything other than stand up to Pauline Hanson and her views, but I know Mathias is one of the decent people in this Government and accept his assurance he did not mean to cause offence.”

What do you think? Was it offensive for Mathias Cormann to compare Penny Wong to Pauline Hanson?

NewsThe latest newsPolitics
Share:
Share via emailShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Pinterest
Stories that matter
Emails delivered daily
Sign up