HANSON: The State Government of Queensland have a budget deficit of $90 billion, yet
we're talking about the Olympic Games 12 years down the track. 2032. Now, when I've travelled
the state quite extensively, I am going to towns that don't even have water. They're
trucking water in, Stanthorpe is one. Biggendon, lack of water infrastructure. The Oxford University
has done a survey into the cost of Olympics to cities that host them. There's an average
of 156% blowout and at the cost of the Olympics, they estimate it is about $12.5 billion, our
money that is going to cost us. I don't believe that we can afford it and I think water infrastructure
is more important to Queensland.Australia's having a pretty rough time at the moment,
though. We've seen years of drought. It's still going on.
BARBOUR: Shocking, unprecedented bushfires. Don't you think this sort of tourism is perhaps
what the country needs going ahead?
HANSON: (LAUGHS) No, I don't. If you're talking about tourism, and, as you said, we've had
drought and bushfires, America put out don't travel to Australia because of the bushfires.
Why would people want to go to a community in rural and regional Australia when townships
are shutting down? Shops are closing. They look worn out. The fact is we don't have the
water.
BARBOUR: As far as other drought-proofing measures, when you look at the current bushfire
crisis, would you like to see some of the money that perhaps would have gone towards
something like hosting the Olympics, or an Olympic bid, maybe spent on a bushfire royal
commission instead?
HANSON: Lucy, let me just tell you, you are incorrect with the information about the Bradfield
scheme not being feasible. The feasibility study was done and it has said it would be
feasible to do it. They are saying to give it to foreign investors to build the scheme,
which I'm totally opposed to. This should be built by Australians, for Australians,
owned by the Queensland and Australian government. Therefore, that is incorrect, your information.
What better scheme should we have than building water infrastructure that will give water
assurance and security to the people of Australia rather than seeing them told they're on water
restrictions in our townships and it's disgusting that we've increased our population into Australia
but we have not looked after our water infrastructure. As far as having a royal commission into the
bushfires, by all means, but we must attach that to let's have the true science and peer
review of the scientists and their climate change fiasco that's going on at the moment,
which is impacting on the cost of electricity, the cost of living to people, especially rural
and regional areas where it's sky rocketing, they can't afford it, and this is having an
impact on townships as well and that those people in cities who can't afford the rising
cost of electricity. Yes, I'd like that to be part of the royal commission if we're going
to have it into the bushfires.
BARBOUR: Sure. And what role do you think climate change has played in these recent
bushfires?
HANSON: Of course it has. Look, climate is changing, by all means, but to say it's purely
because of man-made climate change, I think, is ridiculous. Our planet has changed. It
has done for millions of years and will continue to do so. But the fact is you can't blame
it purely on climate change, it's not the case.
BARBOUR: But even the federal science minister...
HANSON: We have not looked after our national parks, we have not looked after giving the
fire services the ability to do fire breaks and clean up and councils are stopping people
from clearing trees around their properties. We live in a country where we have the Eucalypt
tree which explodes in fires.
BARBOUR: But as far as the question of climate change, even this week, the federal Science
Minister is saying we have to stop debating whether it's real or not and get on with adapting
to it. Last year, if we look at Australia, it was the hottest, driest year on record.
Globally the last decade has been the warmest. How much of a temperature increase would you
feel comfort with by 2030?
HANSON: Temperatures have been increasing actually by the records, they say by their
records. Their records start in the early 1900s. They won't go back to the records prior
to the 1900s. Look in the records of 1890, 1880, which were hotter than what they are
now. So they choose to pick what records they want to expose to the public.
BARBOUR: What would you feel comfortable with...
HANSON: We need debate about it.
BARBOUR: When you think about farmers who are - you represent a lot of farmers and they
are on the front-line of this, they are dealing with climate change every day. They just get
on with it and do it. Are you sort of - have you got a certain figure in your mind that
would be a limit as far as a temperature rise for the country and for the world?
HANSON: OK, if the climate is going to change, and it's going to increase in temperature
2 to 3 degrees is what they're predicting in 100 years' time, you tell me what they
propose to do to change it.
BARBOUR: The Deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie has been accused of using a $100
million sports grant program as a slush fend fund, effectively in the lead-up to the last
election, do you think she has been quit?
HANSON: She has been accused of it because an audit was done and proven that it was.
Yes, she is guilty of that. She says she hasn't. Well, the audit has proven they have used
it for pork barrelling as a slush fund. I thought she was hopeless in dealing with the
dairy industry. This is another case in point. I call for her resignation, that she should
step down in any portfolio as minister. I don't think she is up to doing the job. I
stand by that. This is case in point. I just don't think... Australian people are sick
and tired of pork barrelling by politicians and looking after their own nest egg.
BARBOUR: I'm guessing, then, you would support Labor and the Greens in pushing for a Senate
inquiry into her handling of this program?
HANSON: Well, if it's going to prove they've used that money, taxpayers' dollars, to feather
their own nest and further themselves, yes, I do.