One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has been secretly filmed on camera suggesting the Port Arthur massacre that killed 35 people was a conspiracy.
The Queensland senator was recorded during a steak and wine dinner late last year by Al-Jazeera journalist Rodger Muller as part of an undercover investigation for the network documentary, How to Sell a Massacre.
In the video clip, Ms Hanson, who is accompanied by chief-of-staff James Ashby, is heard insinuating the 1996 shooting had been orchestrated as a plot to change the gun laws in the country.
‘An MP said, “It would actually take a massacre in Tasmania to change the gun laws in Australia.” Have you heard that? Have a look at it. It was said on the floor of Parliament,’ she says.
The Queensland senator was recorded during a steak and wine dinner late last year by Al-Jazeera journalist Rodger Muller as part of an undercover investigation for the network documentary, How to Sell a Massacre
The senator later responded to the video in a tweet saying she was ‘shocked’ and disgusted’ by the ‘hit piece’
Mr Ashby then chimes in saying: ‘Also that whole September 11 thing, too.’
‘Those shots, they were precision shots,’ Ms Hanson adds.
‘Check the number out. I’ve read a lot and I’ve read the book on it, Port Arthur. I read a book on it, on Port Arthur. A lot of questions there.’
The Port Arthur massacre, which killed 35 people and left 24 injured, is considered Australia’s deadliest shooting in history.
The incident led to the introduction of The National Firearms Agreement in 1996 which restricted the ownership of semi-automatic weapons and automatic weapons.
In the clip, Ms Hanson goes on to say: ‘I go on my gut feeling. It’s really, to do with the gun issue and tied up with the American issue at the moment.’
The senator later responded to the video in a tweet calling the documentary a ‘hit piece.’
‘I was shocked & disgusted with the Al Jazeera hit piece. A Qatari government organisation should not be targeting Australian political parties. This has been referred to ASIO. After the full hit piece has been released I’ll make a full statement & take all appropriate action. -PH,’ she tweeted.
The explosive video comes a day after James Ashby and Queensland leader Steve Dickson were filmed allegedly consorting with controversial American gun group, NRA during a meeting in the US last year.
The shooting was carried out by Martin Bryant
Mr Ashby was heard saying that $US20 million in donations to One Nation from US pro-gun lobbyists would give them parliamentary influence in Australia.
Mr Dickson was also filmed describing gun control as a ‘poison’ and saying his party could ‘change Australia’ if it were given money.
He said Australian gun law is important in the context of a global battle for gun rights.
‘If we don’t change things, people are going to be looking at Australia and go ‘Well, it’s OK for them to go down the path of not having guns, it’s OK for them to go down that politically-correct path’,’ he said.
‘And it’s like a poison – it will poison us all unless we stop it.’
He said that with donations One Nation could win more seats in the upper and lower houses and hold the balance of power.
In a separate undercover stunt revealed on Tuesday, Mr Ashby (pictured) is thought to be heard saying that US$20 million in donations to One Nation from US pro-gun lobbyists would give them parliamentary influence in Australia
In the meeting in their hotel, Mr Dickson (pictured) described gun control as a ‘poison’ and said his party could ‘change Australia’ if it were given money
One Nation’s Queensland leader Steve Dickson (left) and Chief of Staff James Ashby (right) in Washington, DC, with undercover reporter Rodger Muller (centre) in September 2018
The two leaders responded to the footage during a press conference on Tuesday claiming they had been drinking scotch for ‘four hours’ and got ‘carried away’ when they made the comments.
‘I’ll be the first to admit, we had arrived in America, we got on the sauce, we had a few drinks and that’s where those discussions took place. Not with any potential donors, no one but Rodger Muller, Steve Dickson and myself,’ Mr Ashby said during a press conference in Brisbane.
At the time the video was taken, Mr Dickson and Mr Ashby had plans to meet with the NRA and representatives of Koch Industries, an American company whose founders have donated millions to conservative causes.
Mr Dickson highlighted the fact that the trip had been organised by Mr Muller and accused him of being a ‘spy.’
‘This trip has been organised by Rodger Muller, who again, I want to make this point very clearly, who is employed by a Middle Eastern country, Al-Jazeera, to come to Australia as a spy, to infiltrate into Australian politics,’ he said.
Mr Ashby (left), Mr Dickson (centre) and undercover reporter Mr Muller (right) on one of their trips to the US
‘I’m going to apologise to the people of Australia for some of the things that Rodger Muller has taped me saying when we were having a few drinks at the bar at our hotel. I don’t talk like that publicly, we were three men talking together and we were having scotches for three or four hours. That is the truth of the matter,’ he said.
Mr Ashby added that there was ‘never any prospect of money coming back’ and said the whole purpose was to seek ‘advice and technology.’
‘Maybe we call got a bit carried away. We went there with good intentions with people who could teach us a few things,’ he said.
He claimed Mr Muller had approached the party asking for an interview with Senator Hanson and claimed to have been part of a fictitious organisation called Gun Rights Australia.
‘He was constantly saying to us we need to get semi-automatics back in the country. I can’t tell you how many times Steve told him it’s not going to happen, it’s not our policy and the public don’t want it,’ Mr Ashby said.
The first part of Mr Muller’s documentary aired on Monday and a second part including the footage of Ms Hanson will air Thursday.